


Desire's Billow

by gold_sakura



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AGH, Jean and Eren as brothers, M/M, Slight mentions of blood, jeanmarco, mermaid au, siren au, the rating might go up as the story progresses, this is still not very useful, will add more tags hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-01-09 09:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1144342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gold_sakura/pseuds/gold_sakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean has always enjoyed his life of solitude and living most of his days out at sea. But, what happens when he decides to change his plans and goes where no one else dares to go?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out at Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Uh hey! This is kinda my first time actually posting a multi chapter fic so I'm sorry if it's lame or something! Also thank you to my friend atelophobiacat on tumblr for suggesting this idea to me and helping me with the basic outline of the story! This chapter is literally just kind of an intro to the story and to Jean's background somewhat. Well, I will let you see Jean being a dork now so enjoy!

The soothing rocking motion urged Jean to stay asleep. He buried his face in his pillow and tried to ignore the rather strong aroma entering his nose. All he wanted to do was get a few more minutes of sleep; after all, last night had completely worn Jean out. Wait, what had made him so tired? As Jean tried to sort out his thoughts, he reached out for his alarm clock to see how long he slept. He was quickly awakened when the sudden imbalance made the hammock flip over, throwing Jean headfirst onto the floor. He rubbed his head while silently cursing at himself; he should have remembered that he was on a boat by now.

            As soon as the throbbing headache went away, Jean decided to get up to go check up on things on deck. Each step made the floorboards creak and moan; Jean duly noted that the boat was old as hell, so the idea of him getting fatter was totally out of the question. The blinding light burst through as soon as Jean opened the door to go outside. When Jean’s eyes had fully adjusted, he took a deep breath as he marveled at the sight before him. He managed to wake up just in time to see the dawn’s first light; the mixture of light red and orange from the sky had created a lovely contrast with the ocean’s blue and white waves. Days like this are what motivated Jean to tolerate his dull job of being an independent fisherman. He was his own man, a man who knew that he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here.

            Jean could easily admit that he considered the ocean to be a safe haven. The roar of the mighty waves gave him a sort of strength that could never be replaced by anything else. Even when things were calm, Jean could swear that he could still feel a power that brought him joy and comfort. As much as he wanted Jean loved the ocean’s surface, he still had an incredible desire to explore everything deep underwater, to see a world beyond his own. He knew it would be way better than all the shit he had to deal with on land.

            After basking in the fresh sunlight for a few more moments, Jean rolled up his sleeves and decided to get to work. Instead of taking the usual fishing spot, he decided to gamble on a supposed ‘hot spot’ that was located more west than any other fisherman was willing to go. Everyone had tried to stop Jean with stories of a monster deceiving anyone who ventured too far to their deaths in the murky depths of the ocean. Jean simply laughed and simply felt more motivated to make the trip; anyone could tell that everyone on the port was just spouting bullshit.

            As Jean laid out all of his nets, he began humming a small tune. It didn’t really occur to him to bother about how he sounded; he just felt like it would make the repetitive nature of his duties seem more lively. Jean unconsciously shook his head when he realized that his idea made him sound a bit girly.  There was no way in hell that he was going to be like fucking Cinderella; he switched to a more hardcore tune in his mental playlist and continued working.

            Once he finished his grueling task, Jean headed back into the cabin to get some food since his fishing trips could last for weeks, even months. When Jean had barely started fishing, he wasn’t too fond of the idea about having to ration out his food. It took him a couple of months to finally adapt to the situation. Jean didn’t take very long to decide on what he was going to eat that day; he was already planning to return to the port the next day, so only a few small cans occupied his expansive cabinet. He opened a can of beans and poured it into the pot over the stove.

            Jean had to let the beans simmer for a while, so he sat down at the chair next to the window. Thankfully, the waves were at peace; Jean really didn’t want his food to be knocked over because of a sudden bump again.  He calmly observed the mast of his ship and noted to himself that this boat needed more than a few patches when he went back to land. As soon as land passed through Jean’s mind, his gaze shifted to the telephone across the room. Maybe he should call home to see how Eren was doing; his little brother did inherit his habit of getting in trouble because of his temper. Jean immediately brushed away the thought when he considered the possibility of his parents answering his call. Their previous argument left them in a stalemate of bitterness and frustration. He could never satisfy parents, so he was more than used to getting the cold shoulder from them… and most of the other people Jean interacted with.

            Giving the previous idea more thought, Jean realized that Eren was really the only person who honestly cared about him, Sure they were always fighting or messing with each other, but at least Eren was always truthful and open to Jean. It seemed like everyone else had grown to only tolerate Jean; he always doubted that he would make a true friend. As the years of solitude slowly passed, Jean had been accustomed to the fact that he would be alone for most of his life. But, in all honesty, Jean wasn’t that phased by this outcome. As long as he had a chance to be in the sea, nothing else mattered. _Friends are overrated anyways_ , Jean thought as he ate his supper, silently staring at the empty chair across the table.

            Jean had a couple more hours to spare before he needed to check on his nets, so he did the only other thing he could do on the boat besides sleep, work, or eat: exercise. Since the cabin was initially meant for two people, Jean used the spare as a makeshift gym. He was honestly too lazy to get rid of the other hammock and nightstand that came with the boat, so they were just left to collect dust in the far corner of the room. With only so much space in this tight room, Jean only had 3 stations he could choose from. The first station had all sorts of unique weights surrounding it; Jean had to improvise with spare metal parts he found around the port since buying an actual set would be extremely expensive. The second station was essentially just a sandbag Jean had managed to hang on a hook. A few more punches and kicks would cause a lot of gravel to scatter across the room. Finally, the last station had a rotating wooden dummy that Jean used to keep in touch with his martial art skills. None of the stations seemed to peak his interest today, so he casually alternated between each station each half-hour or so, Jean took another look outside to see the sun gradually falling and sighed deeply; he wished that wished that time wouldn’t be this slow ever again.

            The light of day eventually disappeared and Jean took that as a signal to turn on the boat’s floodlights. Without them, Jean would be enveloped by the ocean’s ominous darkness. Now came the hardest part of Jean’s job; he had to go recollect his nets, which were hopefully full of fish, without fucking up with the mechanical arm he was forced to use. It wouldn’t have been that difficult to use if it was newer model, but this shit was fucking ancient. Jean had to maneuver a countless number of levers, which always caused him to mumble a few curses to the inventor of this contraption. The first few nets had a decent amount of fish in them; it was fairly shocking since they were in such close distance of each other. He couldn’t wait to show the other fishermen that this ‘dangerous’ spot was literally a jackpot. With each collected net, the distance to travel to the next one gradually grew. With no crew for assistance, Jean had to go between steering the boat in the right direction, making sure the nets were gathered safely, and that the fish were properly settled in the water tank that made up the majority of the ship’s hulk.

            Jean had finally got to the last net, which was approximately 30 minutes away from the others. Although he had long ago met his quota the port had put on him, Jean couldn’t help but hope that this net had been successful as well. The arm was pointed right above where the net was underwater, so Jean lowered it down as carefully as he could. When the arm’s hook gave a slight tug, he knew the net was in his grasp. Jean pulled down one lever to start the net’s ascension slowly, just in case it was bare of any fish. The arm showed no signs of moving, so Jean pulled another lever to increase the pulling strength. Once again, the arm didn’t budge; Jean ultimately was forced to increase the arm’s power until he pulled the sixth lever.

            When he had finally caught sight of the net, Jean was flabbergasted. It had been filled to the brim; its shadow literally blocked the small shine of the moonlight. Jean couldn’t tell what was in the net, so he moved some of the floodlights in its direction. The now visible net bulged outwards and could barely able to contain all the fish squirming in it. Jean suddenly shouted with all his might, relishing in his awesome victory. Lost in a feeling of pure satisfaction, he decided to try and count all the fish that were currently suspended in the air. He regarded each shiny silver fin with awe and wanted to pat himself on the back for having such a thrilling success. Then, Jean noticed something odd when he was nearing his count of 100 fish. Something brown was sticking out of the net… it sort of looked like a tuft of hair. Was someone stuck inside the net?!

            “Oh shit!” Jean fumbled on his way to the arm’s controls, but managed to lower the net onto the deck. He scrambled to release the net’s knot and accidently let all the fish spill out uncontrollably. Jean made sure to not to step on anything but the floor, but still frantically searched for the source of the anomaly he encountered earlier. It took him a few seconds before he caught sight of what appeared to be a whole head of hair.”Hey, are you alright?” Jean called out as he made his way through the flopping fish. Jean finally reached the person, who seemed to be male, and only his face could be seen. For some odd reason, all of the boat’s lights suddenly dimmed down to a very faint shine.

            The boy seemed unconscious so Jean tried to nudge him awake. “Dude, wake up. C’mon man,” Getting no response, Jean starting to poke the boy’s cheek. Jean couldn’t help but notice how many freckles this kid had; something about them made Jean come closer to the boy’s solemn face.

            “Get away from me….”

            “Wha-“Jean couldn’t react fast enough to avoid the kid’s head butt. He put both of his hands to his forehead and silently cursed. A loud splash made Jean come back to his senses. He got up and made his way to the side of the boat. The small ripple in the waves let Jean know that the kid fell off. “Hey! Wait! Come back! I won’t-“Jean’s jaw dropped when he saw the kid’s eyes. They were a pretty normal light brown color, but for some reason, they were alluring. Captivated by the mesmerizing face, Jean stood on the ledge of the deck. He giggled; why did the kid look so worried? He was just going to join him in the water.

            “Don’t jump,” the boy yelled. Jean let out a small breath. Not only was the kid gorgeous, but he had such a nice singing voice too…

            The dark water had become so inviting to Jean. All he had to do was let go and he would be comforted in its sweet embrace. He didn’t even realize that he was no longer breathing air; his lungs kindly accepted the ocean’s gift of being filled. Jean would no longer feel empty, he would finally feel whole. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a sweet whisper that sounded like it said, “Not again.” Jean let his mind wander and the world suddenly went black.


	2. Siren's Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once you meet a siren, there is no escape. You will always be lead back there, the place you call home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: This chapter might contain some scenes that may trigger negative and/or depressing thoughts, so be careful!  
> I actually finished this chapter ahead of schedule, so here it is! I was trying to make it shorter than the first chapter, but that was a total bust..... I hope you guys enjoy anyway! Also, a song that kind of helped me with the plot of the chapter is "I Will Always Return" by Bryan Adams. Is it way too cheesy to inspire the earlier chapters? Definitely. Please don't kill me.

  
  


            _Thump, thump, thump._ Jean could hear the steady beat of his heart against his ear. He felt disoriented and confused. He used the little strength he felt he had to try to open his eyes. However, it was to no avail, and Jean was left to stare at the nothingness before him. The last thing he remembered was feeling his body fall into the ocean. Had he drowned? Was he already experiencing the moment everyone called death?

            Distracted by his crestfallen thoughts, Jean barely noticed the repeated bursts of pressure on his chest. He brushed it off as an illusion of hope. He had been alone at sea as he always had; no one would be able to save him, no matter how much he wished to be able to live again. Jean was ready to give in, yet the constant pressure wouldn’t stop bugging him. Just how much willpower did his mind have? It wasn’t until he felt liquid rising from his lungs to his throat that Jean realized that he was actually being revived.

            Jean coughed and hacked as he felt the warm saltwater dribble out from both sides of his face. He finally felt the solid surface that held his limp body. Who in the hell managed to get Jean back on his boat?

            “Hey, are you awake?” Jean’s eyes flew open when he recognized the kid’s voice. The kid’s face looked twisted with worry, but suddenly relaxed into a gentle smile when Jean returned his stare. “Oh thank goodness you’re okay!” The kid’s sudden hug brought an indescribable warmth throughout Jean’s body. It took a second for Jean to get back to his senses and push the kid off gently.

            “Ugh, who are you anyways?” Jean said this as he positioned himself to be in a sitting position.

            “I’m Marco. And you are?”

            Jean snickered. He could already tell that Marco would be one of those people who had insane amounts of pep and energy. “Jean.”

            “Jean? I like it! Nice to meet you!” Marco stuck out his hand.

            Jean couldn’t believe he was talking to someone so friendly. Marco’s humble nature made Jean feel so good, almost special. “Likewise-“Jean hesitated to touch Marco’s hand with his own. This kid was the one who almost killed himself by jumping back into the ocean. “Hold the fuck up. Why in the hell did you get off the boat last night?”

            “I would prefer that you wouldn’t use such crude language, Jean.”

            Jean scratched the back of his head. “Oh right, my bad.” Jean suddenly covered his mouth. Marco’s amused giggle let Jean in on the kid’s trick. “Don’t think you can just change the subject Marco. I’m not gonna fall for that bullshit. Just answer the damn question.”

            “You really need to work on that potty mouth Jean. Who taught you how to speak that way?”

            “Let’s just say I watched too many action movies as a kid,” Jean blurted out. He didn’t mean to say that; hell, the thought hadn’t even gone through his brain and Jean somehow said it so casually. “The fuck is going on?” Jean began to glare at Marco. “What did you do to me, bastard?”

            Marco tried to hold in his laughter. “Honestly, I’m not doing much. You’re kind of doing this on your own, whether you like it or not.”

            “That doesn’t make any sense. Why the fuck would I want to answer your dumbass questions?”

            “This might be a little hard to believe, but uh…” Marco got closer to Jean, making their faces be apart by only a few inches. “To make a long story short Jean, you will essentially do anything to please me.” The last two words made Jean’s cheeks burn with an intense heat.

            Jean gulped.”W-why would you think I would do that?”

            “Because you’re gay.”

            “What the fuck?!” Jean’s anger began to flare up. “In what way does sexuality play a part in any of this?”

            “Let me show you.” Marco slowly stood and walked towards the water tank. Jean flinched as he realized he could see Marco’s bare ass. Had this kid been naked the entire time?

            “Dude, where the hell are your clothes?” Jean tried not to stare at the gorgeous boy before him.

            “I don’t need any.”

            “What do you mean-“Jean saw Marco stand at the edge of the tank. He looked as if he was about to jump in. “Marco, don’t-“With no hesitation, Marco dove right into the saltwater along with the thousands of fish Jean had captured. Jean forced himself not to turn scarlet red; that dive allowed him to see most of Marco’s more… personal areas.

            Jean’s schoolgirl moment quickly faded away; Marco had not resurfaced. ”Marco?” He paused for a moment to look at some of the fishes’ odd behavior. Many of them started to avoid being near the surface of the water and disappeared from Jean’s sight. Within a matter of seconds, the slight ripples atop the tank completely stopped.

            Everything became horridly silent; Jean didn’t hear anything even as Marco’s head rose above the water. Jean’s jaw dropped; Marco seemed to have undergone a drastic transformation. Marco still had his brown eyes, but they had gained a fierce intensity that made it hard for Jean to concentrate on anything else. His ears were now something that resembled fins that were a slight tint of green and blue. Below those fins, small crevices were alongside Marco’s neck; Jean could only assume that they were gills of some sort. Marco noticed Jean’s dumbfounded expression and smiled, revealing that he had grown noticeably sharper teeth.

            “Come here Jean.” Marco used his finger to signal Jean to approach the tank.

            “O-okay.” Jean heaved himself up and walked towards Marco. He didn’t have much control over his own body; he was forced to stand still when he reached his destination.

            “Sit.” Jean immediately obeyed. “Good. Now that you have seen me like this, there is no possible way that you can deny that I’m a siren.”

            “A siren?” Jean felt himself slur his response. Time had slowed down considerably in his brain. Jean was amazed that he managed to stay conscious; just staring at Marco made him feel incredibly dizzy and lightheaded.

            “Yup. Have a look.” Marco shifted a bit to show Jean his legs. Jean wouldn’t have given the gesture much thought, but he was taken aback when he saw a giant tail appear out of the water. Marco’s new appendage was a deep turquoise that reminded Jean of how the ocean looked when the sun barely grazed its surface. The fin looked similar to the ones on Marco’s head, but was a lighter shade of green. The scales surrounding the tail looked delicate and thin, yet they reflected much of the sunlight without any difficulty. “Amazing what a little saltwater can do to a guy huh?”

            Jean rubbed his eyes to regain some of his concentration. “Marco, if you’re a siren, shouldn’t you be with a whole group of other sirens right now?”

            “What do you mean?”

            Jean scowled. “Don’t you guys usually travel in packs or some shit to get your victims to drown and get eaten?”

            “That is certainly true in most cases.” Marco paused, wiping a forlorn stare from his face before continuing. “I can assure you that no other sirens are with me at the moment.”

            “How… do you expect me to believe you?” It took Jean an immense amount of strength to say something other than, “Whatever you say.” Even if Marco still had some power over him, Jean wouldn’t just pretend like he didn’t have his own opinion. “You are a deceptive creature by nature for fuck’s sake.”

            “You don’t have to believe anything I say Jean. But you might have been dead already of the others were with me.”

            Jean had to admit that it was weird for him to still be breathing. “Why-“Jean wasn’t sure how to word his next question but ultimately decided to be straightforward. “Why did you save me Marco?”

            Marco titled his head in confusion. Why did Jean start thinking that motion was adorable? “So you wanted to be eaten then?”

            “No, of course not! But, aren’t you supposed to see me as a meal?”

            “Technically yes. However, I felt it was a wiser decision to keep you alive.”

            “What made you think that?”

            “This is going to sound really silly, but I truthfully just want to talk to you.”

            “Are you fucking serious? Do you make everybody your little chatting buddy?”

            “No, it’s not like that.”

            “Oh really?” Jean had no idea why he felt himself fuming; he probably didn’t want to remember how it was being a pawn again. “It sounds like I am just a new toy for you.”

            Marco shook his head. “Jean you’ve got it all wrong. You are the first person I’ve-“He turned away. “This is the first time I have asked this to anybody.”

            Jean was silent for a couple of seconds. He wanted to accept Marco’s offer, but he knew that this could be another trick that he was easily falling for. “Wouldn’t your sea friends get jealous?” Jean asked sarcastically.

            Marco laughed nervously. “Uh, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

            ”Nice try. As much as I would love to talk with you for who knows how long,” Jean reluctantly got up and headed towards the cabin. “I got to go back to deliver these fish at the port.”

            “Alright, I’ll wait for you to come back.”

            Jean smirked at Marco. “What makes you think I’m going to come here again? I may not be the brightest person around, but I’m not stupid enough to fall for a siren’s trick twice.”

            “But it’s not a-“

            “Sure it isn’t. One of the most devious sea creatures just magically wants to become best buds with one of its meals. Sounds like something out of a stupid fairytale if you ask me.”

            “Even though you say all of these mean things, I’m sure you will return.”

            “Huh?” Jean found it mind-boggling that Marco could be so arrogant. “Are those fins affecting your hearing? I clearly said that I wasn’t coming back and I meant it. Now if you don’t mind, I gotta leave, so get off my boat.”

            “Okay then.” Marco heaved himself out of the tank and went to the edge of the deck. He suddenly faced Jean again with a sad expression. “I really do hope you come back.” Marco flopped back into the ocean, leaving jean with one last look of his shimmering tail. A hidden urge in Jean wanted him to call the siren back, but he fought to stay in control and went to steer the boat back to shore.

            Jean reached the port safely even though he felt like he was in a daze. When the old fishermen caught sight of Jean’s boat, they rushed over to see if the boy had made it intact. Jean went to go see the local merchants in the fish market, but couldn’t get the old geezers to stop following him. They wouldn’t stop asking him about how dangerous those waters were. Jean didn’t answer any of their questions; he felt like his near-death experience would just make them more cocky and annoying.

            By pulling a few strings, Jean was able to sell all of his fish to three different merchants. He didn’t remember much of the negotiations since a constant ringing sound invaded his head. The sound gradually got louder as Jean got farther away from the port. Jean was forced to retreat back into his boat’s cabin when he nearly vomited in public; the slight headache had evolved into extreme nausea.

            Jean was about to make his way to his cabin, but he stopped when he heard the telephone ring. He picked up after the fourth ring and grunted. “Kirschstein here.”

            “Sup, horse face?” Like always, Eren seemed to pick the worst time to call Jean.

            “Hey bro,” Jean groaned.

            “Whoa, you sound worse than a sack of shit. Did ya go drinking or something?”

            “Why do you always assume I’m drinking when I get back?”

            “Because you’re my fucking brother.”

            “Great reason, you little shit. If you must know, I’m having the mother of all headaches right now.”

            “Ouch. You want me to come over and bring you some medicine?”

            “Nah, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with our folks.”

            “Don’t you love it when I get my ass whooped though?”

            “Let me be a nice person today. Don’t fucking argue with me right now.” Jean felt his stomach flip. “Ugh I feel like I’m gonna hurl any second now.”

            “Dude, really? That’s really gross, I don’t need to hear that shit.”

            “Thanks for the support fucker.”

            Eren chuckled. “Well you already rejected my generous offer, retard. Why don’t you go look at the ocean for a bit? You always tell me that helps sometimes.”

            “When have I said that?”

            “All. The. Fucking. Time.”

            Jean chuckled. “No need to be all pissed about it. I guess I’ll go do that right now. Watch yourself before you start doing crazy shit.”

            “Yeah whatever dad,” Eren teased. “Call ya soon, bro.”

            “Later.”

            Jean had no hesitation to go to the window and stare at the luminescent view. The small beams of light coming from the port were dim compared to the moonlight reflecting off the flowing waves. Most people would feel tense when they saw how dark the ocean could get. Jean was a special case and always felt relaxed, but curious, looking at the water that went past his vision. There was so many secrets that were hidden from him; Jean had made it his goal to one day explore as much of the ocean as he could. The incessant ringing Jean heard earlier was replaced with a small hum. It had a melancholic quality to it that lulled Jean to sleep.

            A familiar scene played in Jean’s dream. The shadows, which barely had human forms, were gathered together, portraying a close bond with each other. This could have been seen as a happy moment, but Jean knew this illusion all too well. One by one, the shadows gradually left the circle with no real indication as to why they were leaving. Finally, one shadow was left alone, frozen and confused. It reached the air around it frantically as if it couldn’t see that it had been abandoned. The shadow stopped after a few moments and crouched down; it hugged its knees and began trembling.

            Jean approached the shadow and tried to comfort it. Once again, the sad being didn’t feel a hand on its shoulder. It became pretty obvious that Jean couldn’t even support himself in his own dreams. Jean continued to stare at the shadow, the being that showed all the emotions he managed to hide. In this dream, sound was usually forbidden, so Jean didn’t bother to open his mouth. But, as he was about to walk away, Jean heard the shadow whimper and cry. The sound was absolutely foreign to him; Jean knew his sobs were entirely different from this. He wanted to know who it was, so he reached for the shadow’s face. As soon as he made slight contact however, Jean was awakened by the piercing sunlight that flooded his eyes. He wiped his hand down his face and groaned; he was so fucking close.

            The rest of the morning went along smoothly. Jean greeted everyone on the port while he gathered supplies for his next fishing trip. Once everything was loaded onto the boat Jean decided it would be best to make his departure quick and quiet. Unfortunately, the old geezers caught sight of him and told him to go back to the ‘jackpot spot’. Jean flicked them off and went in the opposite direction.

            Jean really had no clue where his destination was going to be, so he felt like it was a safe bet just to go straight for a couple of hours. He let his mind drift to a more serene place, a place where the previous day’s humming became a sweet melody. The voice was getting clearer and more rich as Jean ventured further into the ocean. It was almost as if he was being lead somewhere. The sun had completely set before Jean stopped the boat.

            Since he couldn’t do much at night, Jean went to his hammock to turn in early. He honestly didn’t feel drowsy in the slightest, so he laid there, staring at the unappealing ceiling. Jean was about to shift his position when he heard an odd thunking noise outside. He knew that there was a possibility that he might be near some rocks, so he went to go investigate. There was nothing visible atop the deck; Jean’s only other option was to peek over the edges of the boat. He was more than stunned when a familiar sharp-toothed smile stood out in the water.

            “Welcome back, Jean.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading and I hoped you liked it! Thank you to those on here and on tumblr who gave me enough confidence to keep this fic going! The next update might take a while since I have recently gotten more stuff to do at school and home, just wanted to give you guys a heads up. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions, I would really appreciate it!  
> Again, if you have a tumblr, you can reach me at gold-sakura if you wanna talk on there.  
> Thank you for reading my horribly long chapter and definitely let me know if I should continue ^-^


	3. So Close Yet So Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendship is found and there is no way of going back to the way it once was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the HUGE delay with this chapter. I promise I will definitely try not to be so late with the next chapter. I hope this longer chapter can make up for my absence. (By the way this chapter is over 4,000 words...WOW) Anyways enough of my rambling, please enjoy this new chapter!

“Why the fuck are you here?” Jean tried to sound serious, but for some reason, he felt ecstatic when he saw the siren. His squeaky voice made his resolve falter even more.

            “It should be me asking you that question Jean. I remember you told me that you were never returning.”

            “That’s the thing, Marco. I met you hundreds of miles due east from me. I didn’t go back, you came to me.”

            “Are you absolutely positive of this?”

            “Of course I am!” Jean grunted. “I even chose outrageous coordinates to be as far away from you as possible!”

            “Prove it to me.”

            “What?”

            “Show me that we are not in the same spot as last time.”

            “Look, I don’t need to prove anything to-“

            Marco giggled. “Stop being so stubborn and bring me the proof, silly.”

            Jean rushed inside the cabin and checked his position. He was flabbergasted at the results he had received; Marco wasn’t lying, he was in the EXACT place as he was last time. How did he even turn the boat around without noticing? Jean knew it probably had to do with Marco’s siren abilities. He went to confront Marco, who didn’t bother to hide his smug grin.

            “So, did you find something that proves that I’m wrong?”

            “You knew this would happen didn’t you?”

            “Yeah I knew you would be wrong. I think I should know what part of the water I’m in.”

            “No, not that dipshit. I meant that you knew that I would come back.

            Marco looked away. “Maybe…..maybe not. It was more like I was taking a gamble.”

            “Gamble?”

            “Yeah. I assume you heard a nice tune on your way over here.”

            “How- Wait that was you wasn’t it?”

            Marco gave Jean a thumb up. “Bingo! My siren song lead you back here! Most people aren’t able to hear our songs anymore. I’m happy that you have such receptive ears.”

            Jean tried not to blush. Was Marco trying to make him feel special? “I don’t think I should be happy about this. Now I know that I can be siren food any day now.”

            “Like I said before, I’m not planning to eat you.”

            “Whatever you say man.” Jean stretched. “Look, just because you lured me back here doesn’t mean I’m gonna change my mind. I will do my work, you will, uh, do whatever sirens do besides killing people, and we will definitely go our separate ways permanently after this trip.”

            Marco frowned. “I could always bring you back here each time you try to go somewhere else.”

            “And I could always ignore you every time.”

            “You’re not any fun.”

            Jean shrugged. “I’m not usually the life off the party anyways. Tough luck Marco, you chose to befriend someone who really doesn’t give a shit no matter what you do.” Jean looked at the moon before he made his way into his cabin. “It’s getting late, so I’m gonna turn in. Bye Marco.”

            “Not if I have a say in this Jean.”

            Jean flinched. “Whatever.” He got in the cabin and took some time to realize what he had just done; if he managed to irritate Marco, Jean just knew there would be hell in the future. Jean eventually went to sleep, his dreams full of the echoes of a siren’s evil laughter.

            The next day, Jean tried to go through his normal schedule. It was fine until he finished breakfast and saw Marco, once again completely nude, sitting with his legs crossed at the end of the deck.

            “Morning sleepyhead!” Marco’s sheepish smile made Jean a bit flustered, especially since the guy had normal teeth for once. Jean vowed not to be swept away by Marco’s trance and continued to put his first net into the water. “You don’t need to be so rude, Jean. You just need to return the greeting. C’mon, all you gotta do is say two small words. Good mor-ning.”

            “…” Jean felt his mouth open, but quickly passed it off as a breath of fatigue. He went back into the cabin to sail to the next position.

            “Jean! Please don’t ignore me! I’ll sing you a nice little tune if you want,” Marco teased in a playful tone.

            Jean slammed the door and emptied his mind to focus on the ocean. Muffled notes leaked into the room; Jean had to grip the wheel tightly to restrain himself from going anywhere. He had only gotten to the second spot of the day and he was already sweating profusely and all of his muscles felt constrained. “Fucking hell.”

            By the time Jean had set the last net, Marco had thought of all of his excuses to make Jean notice him. Nothing seemed to be working that well; the most Marco had gotten out of his mean companion was a slight twitch. Jean didn’t even bother to tell him that he would be alone for the next couple of hours. Marco assumed Jean went inside to go eat and get some rest, but that didn’t improve Marco’s patience in the slightest.

            The only thing Marco could do was to start singing again until Jean came back. He had long ago forgotten any human songs that had lyrics, so he resorted to singing a soft melody. It was true that sirens used this gift to lure their victims, but most of the time, Marco sang just for kicks. His voice was also the one thing his peers and family really admired about him.

            Marco kept the song slow and sweet, his mind full of thoughts about Jean. He pictured Jean’s soft tan hair and how he wanted to touch the odd dark colored undercut beneath the short locks. Marco almost chuckled at the thought of Jean’s grumpy face. His brows would always furrow, and to Marco, Jean’s glare seemed more like a childish pout compared to the faces the other sirens could make. Marco knew Jean would have a cute smile once he decided to lighten up. Marco imagined the two of them talking and laughing, almost as if they were already the best of friends…

            Boom! The sudden slam of the door awoke Marco from his daydream. He noticed that Jean’s eyes went wide as they made straight eye contact. Jean looked away; his face contorted into expressions of anger and confusion.

            “Jean are you okay?”

            “…” Marco watched as Jean paced back and forth, shook his head, and went back inside to sail back to the first net. He was such an obvious dork. Now Marco was really tempted to mess with Jean some more. Marco stood and casually strode to the device littered with tangled levers. Surely this attempt wouldn’t end up in failure.

            Jean ran his fingers through his hair and cursed himself. The first day with Marco wasn’t even close to ending and he was already losing his mind. That damned song the annoying siren kept singing kept playing in Jean’s head. The tune was smooth and sultry; it reminded him of a time where everything was peaceful, free of any doubt or senseless bickering. At one point, Jean even considered telling Marco about it. That’s when he found himself nearly a hair’s length away from speaking to the sneaky siren.

            A deep mixture of shame and embarrassment flooded Jean’s thoughts and he quickly retreated to his room. _What the hell am I doing,_ Jean thought. He assured himself that he had enough willpower to withstand Marco’s advances. But, like always, things were easier said than done. Marco truly had a talent that made Jean question his own prideful rejection. Jean was honestly thinking that maybe Marco didn’t want to eat him after all. However, no matter how innocent and determined that freckled face looked, Jean couldn’t disregard the fact that Marco was a siren, so this would never work. Jean snickered; this sounded too much like what he was dealing with on land. There was always a reason that supported Jean’s venture into solitude.

            Once the boat stopped, Jean went straight to the robot’s arm’s controls. He walked with his head down, making sure he didn’t get caught in Marco hypnotizing stare. Even when Jean looked up, he didn’t notice that Marco was right next to him.

            “Hello again, Jean.”

            “Holy fucking shit!” The soft whisper that caressed his ear made Jean scramble to hold onto something as he felt his legs give in. He somehow pulled down the right combination of levers to make the robot arm jerk in the opposite direction. It wasn’t able to move in a full circle, so it quickly stopped at its limit with a loud bang. It gave out a loud moan before sputtering and locking into that position. ”Fucking hell.”

            “Oh my…” Marco gasped. He took a few steps back; he could almost swear that Jean was literally fuming. “I’m so sorry-“

            “Don’t.” Jean took a deep breath. “I’ll go fix it and we will talk afterwards.”

            “But I-“

            “Just shut up Marco. I said we will talk later. I’m not in the mood to think logically. Let me cool down and then we can talk as long as you want, alright?”

            “Okay.”

            “Good. Just sit there and don’t start using your siren abilities to ‘help’ me or whatever. I knew something like this would happen.”  Jean went to climb on the robot arm with some tools he had next to it. He tuned everything else out and got working.

            Marco was speechless. He expected to get a huge verbal lashing from Jean, but ended up being stuck in a sort of time-out situation. Jean was blazing with rage, yet he wanted to have a calm conversation about this accident. Marco couldn’t have been more impressed. It looked like he underestimated the silly hothead.

            It didn’t take very long for the arm to be fixed. Marco watched as Jean maneuvered through the bars and pivots with ease, knowing exactly which screws and hinges needed to be fixed. When Jean double checked every mechanism and hopped off the arm when he was satisfied.  Even though tough work usually made people (and sirens) stressed, Marco noticed that Jean’s entire body relaxed considerably when he went back inside the cabin. Marco flinched; didn’t Jean say that they were finally going to talk? He didn’t want to start off this, whatever it was going to be, with doubt, so he remained still. Every passing second became unnerving to Marco. His palms became sweaty and his throat was completely dry. His breathing became quicker when thought of being ignored again went through Marco’s head. For him, it felt like more than an eternity before Jean emerged. Jean turned to Marco and threw a soft pile of something at his face.

            “Ah!” Marco looked down to see that wrinkled clothes were splayed out on his lap. He gave Jean a questioning look.

            “If we’re going to talk,” Jean scratched one of his flushed cheeks, “You are definitely going to need to wear some clothes.”  
            Marco chuckled. “Alright, if that’s what I need to make the blushing virgin happy, I’ll do it.”

            “S-shut up!” Jean turned around and waved his hand. “Hurry up and change before I change my mind.”

            Marco saw that he had received a pair of boxers, an olive green shirt, and black jeans. Apparently Jean did have some fashion sense; his usual outfit of a rolled up white t-shirt and gray cargo pants made Marco assume otherwise. Marco placed some of the clothing on the floor to begin changing, but froze when he thought of a very fun idea.

            Jean heard slight rustling behind him. It kind of shocked him that Marco was willing to change into his clothes. Marco seemed like he was used to parading around naked while he was on land. Jean, on the other hand, wanted a person’s more sensitive areas to be covered up during a conversation. It was hard enough not to peruse Marco’s body earlier in the day.

            It wasn’t as if Jean _enjoyed_ looking at that… tanned and built body. Jean’s fantasies were rapidly spiraling downhill, so he slapped his cheeks to stay focused. The noise behind him disappeared, but Jean wasn’t going to take any chances.

            “Are you dressed now?”

            “Of course!”

            “Are you positive?” Jean insisted.

            “Take a look for yourself.”

            “Alri- FUCKING HELL MARCO!” Jean turned to face a still bare Marco, who was smirking with his arms and legs stretched out.

            “Surprise!” Marco grinned mischievously and Jean felt his face burn up.

            Jean turned away again and crossed his arms. “Do you want to talk or not?”

            “Yes, but I couldn’t have passed up on that golden opportunity.”  Marco giggled. “You should have seen your face Jean. It was priceless.”

            “Please shut the fuck up.” Jean walked toward the cabin door. “You better change this time or I’m gonna throw you off this boat.”

            “Do you really want to touch me that bad?” Marco’s voice lowered down to a sultry tone.

            “Shit. Can you not make things so sexual?” Jean sighed.

            “I’ll think about it.”

            “Whatever. Look, I’ll be waiting in the kitchen, first doorway to your right. Don’t play anymore, or else I’ll be fucking done. Got it?”

            “Yes, Mr. Grouch, sir.”

            Jean assumed Marco was saluting to him, but he wasn’t willing to take a risk and check. It seemed that Marco could change from a seducing siren to a complete nerd in a snap. “Make up your fucking mind,” Jean mumbled.

            “Excuse me?”

            “Uh, nothing. Just hurry up okay?” Jean opened the door and entered in an odd panic. Marco’s  small laugh barely breached the thin walls and it sent chills down Jean’s spine. He had just fucked himself over.

            Marco tried his best not to show how funny this was to him. Once Jean retreated, Marco let out a tiny laugh. His whole body moved as if he was laughing at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t believe that Jean could be so adorable. Thanks to this prank, Marco finally understood the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” From first glance, Jean appeared to be the typical flirt who had gotten away with more than a few perverted pick-up lines. In reality though, he was more like an innocent child, whom, to Marco at least, was hesitant to give into his sexual desires. _What a dope,_ Marco thought.

            After pulling on Jean’s rather snug shirt, Marco took a look at his body. His new outfit was baggy, but was still much too small for him. Jean was definitely more ripped than Marco, but he was almost a head shorter than Marco as well. The fabric on Marco’s body ended at awkward places; his lower stomach and ankles were showing, and Marco could tell that Jean wouldn’t buy such frivolous clothing. This outfit was meant to be worn by an average but muscular man. Marco sighed; sometimes he wished that he didn’t have such lanky limbs.  

            Marco went and opened the door to Jean’s cabin. The first sight that Marco saw was a withered hallway. Splinters and questionable dents were strewn all over, and the few gray doors were the only thing that contrasted against the musty brown of the worn wood. _This ship should seriously be condemned,_ Marco thought. The first two doors were slightly open, which made Marco extremely  curious. He glanced at both doors and bit his bottom lip. _I’ll just take a quick look,_ he thought. Marco slowly pushed the left door wide and he giddily went to see what was inside. His jaw dropped when he saw all the junk and curious contraptions thrown all over the place. Nothing looked cohesive, but certain things were put in certain spots. Most items were fused together, making them have abnormal shapes. They all probably had a very specific function, but Marco didn’t have the slightest clue on what it was. This room was odd and grimy, but there was something bright sitting in the corner. Marco wanted to investigate further; he didn’t expect the first plank he stepped on to squeal so loudly.

            “Didn’t I tell you it was the room to the right?” Jean yelled. “Stop being so nosy and get in here, Marco.”

            Marco sighed and reluctantly trudged to the opposite room. He noticed that the atmosphere was entirely different from the room he was previously in. The walls were a serene blue that went well with all the white appliances that were organized nicely on the countertop. The few pieces of furniture were light brown and put in the center of the room. It kind of felt like Marco was swimming near the surface of the water; it reminded him of home.

            “Are you just going to stand there gaping, or are you going to sit down with me?” Jean said with his palm against his cheek and chin.

            “Oh right.” Marco pulled out the only other chair in front of Jean and sat down. He fidgeted for a few seconds before asking, “Do you usually have company here?”

            “Besides my brother, not really…”  
            A few moments of silence pass. The annoying ticks of the clock didn’t help Marco calm down.

            “J-jean, look, I’m really sorry about-“

            “It wasn’t your fault.”

            “But I scared you-“

            Jean scoffed. “Heh, you just startled me, that’s all. I doubt you did that on purpose, but if you did, I don’t think you could have predicted my rather…sporadic reaction.”

            “You seem way too calm for this kind of situation. I almost broke your only tool to collect fish. I would have lost my head if I were you.”  
            Jean shrugged. “I guess I have dealt with worse shit than this.”  Jean smiled. “If you would have met me a few years ago, I would have gone apeshit on you.”

            Marco couldn’t help but let  out a short breath of laughter. “What made you this sensible in such a short amount of time?”

            “I would be lying if I said my anger management classes were of any help.” Jean rubbed his arm. “I guess I just got tired of being such a drama king. I still get riled up when it comes to fight- I mean arguing with my brother though.”

            “Huh, never thought I would hear you call yourself a drama king. But I’m glad you aren’t mad at me.” Marco gave Jean a sweet smile.

            “Don’t think that I will fall for your fake innocence Marco. I still haven’t forgiven you for your little stunt earlier.”

            “Aw, come on Jean. You know you liked the view.” Marco wiggled his eyebrows.

            “S-shut up!”

            “Mmmmm, don’t feel like it.”

            “You really know how to push my buttons, you know that?”

            “I will totally take that as a compliment.”

            “Fucking weirdo.”

            “Thanks.”

            “Do you understand the concept of ‘insults’, Marco?”

            “Yes I do, but I know you are just teasing.” Marco reached across the table and scratched under Jean’s chin.

            Jean twitched and moved his head back. “Can you just stop already?”

            “I could, but I don’t want to.”

            Jean groaned.

            Instead of going back to work, Jean felt more inclined to talk to Marco. They began to talk about many things, but the subject of the ocean kept them glued to their seats. Seconds soon became minutes, and those minutes easily turned into hours. Jean forgot about his burning eyes, while Marco paid no attention to his flaky skin. The break of dawn interrupted them. The bright light made Jean squint and yawn. Marco looked perfectly fine, but being away from the water for so long brought him great  fatigue as well.

            “Well fuck. Would you look at that?” Jean rubbed his eyes. “Just when I thought I couldn’t have made my sleep schedule any worse, I pull an all-nighter.”

            “Hey, I did too.” Marco pouted.

            “Dude, you told me sirens don’t need sleep. This doesn’t count for you.”

            Marco stuck out his tongue out. “You never let me have any fun.”

            “Nope and I’m not planning to anytime soon.”

            “You’re such a dick.”

            “Thanks.” Jean yawned again. “Hope you don’t mind but I have to kick you out for a bit.”

            Marco whined. “Aw, how come?”

            “Well for one thing, you ain’t looking so good there Marco.”

            Marco saw that his skin was becoming pale and blotchy. “Oh.”

            “Yeah. Secondly, I’m tired as hell and knowing you, you probably wouldn’t  give me five minutes of silence to doze off.”

            “You don’t know that.” Marco shoved Jean’s shoulder.

            “Oh but I do know that, fucker.” Jean returned the shove.

            “You sure you don’t want to bring a cute teddy bear with you?” Marco stretched out his arms and smiled.

            Jean blushed and looked down. “Stop making everything so gay, Marco.”

            “Request denied. It’s sort of my job to make everything sexual, or at least playful, remember?”

            “Who could forget?” Jean rolled his eyes. “Go on and refresh yourself before you turn into a fucking fish stick.” He began to head to his room. “I will see you in a couple of hours.”

            “Jean?”

            “Yeah?” Jean turned to look at Marco before he opened the door.

            Marco hesitantly met Jean’s stare halfway and kept twisting his right foot. “Thanks for… uh, you know, talking to me Jean. I’ll see you later.”

            Marco left before Jean could respond, leaving him to be alone with his conflicting thoughts and emotions.

            The rest of the week followed a similar pattern. Marco and Jean kept talking; it almost became non-stop during the middle of the week. Neither of them felt nervous or awkward with each other, so there was plenty of joking dirty talk. Jean always blamed Marco if the jokes went too far, and Marco always laughed in response.

            Since Jean thought it would be best for Marco to stay in the water, most of their conversations were held on the edge of Jean’s boat. It was the perfect opportunity for Marco to really absorb Jean’s nice features. Jean’s hair gently swayed with the passing breezes, revealing that some of the dark part of his undercut reached the roots of the lighter strands. His hazel eyes never lost contact with Marco; they might have been going up and down Marco’s body,  but Marco didn’t mind all too much. But, the thing that kept Marco mesmerized was Jean’s smile. It was wide and inviting to Marco. At some point, he began to believe Jean’s smile had more warmth than the sun.

            The end of the week came all too soon; Jean didn’t feel like leaving Marco, but he had important deadlines to meet at the port. With a reluctant farewell, Jean sailed away without looking  back. He hadn’t even traveled for 15 minutes, yet he already felt a huge strain on his heart. The humming that was in his head days before returned with a vengeance. Marco was so dead when Jean came back.

            Jean went through his daily tasks at the port and really had nothing better to do, so he went back to his cabin. After making a nice cup of tea, Jean took his usual spot of the chair next to the window. He usually had decent manners, but Jean suddenly felt like making ghastly slurping noises. The once comfortable silence now made Jean feel empty; he wanted to hear his voice…

            Ring ring! Ring ring!

            Jean didn’t have to guess who was calling since there was pretty much only one person who knew his number. He picked up his phone and said, “Sup?”

            “Really? That’s all you’re gonna say?” Eren groaned.

            “What else do you expect me to say fucker?”

            “Oh I don’t  know. Maybe ‘Hey bro! How have you been? How’s life treating ya pal?’”

            “You already know I don’t say that kind of shit. Be happy I’m going to let you off easy today.”

            “You? Letting me off easy?” Eren scoffed. “Something good happen to you or what?”

            “…”

            “No way. No fucking way. You’re in an ACTUAL good mood today?”

            “Yeah.”

            “How the fuck did this happen?”

            Jean took a second and told Eren a revised story of how he met Marco. Their first encounter happened  because Marco was a new kid on the port and had gotten lost. After Marco offered to help Jean on his fishing trip, they quickly got along. Marco had some errands to run when they returned, so Jean was alone again. Jean couldn’t tell Eren the truth since it would make him sound crazy. Yet, even though Jean knew he was saying a bunch of bullshit, he heard his own strained voice as he was talking to Eren.

            “Sounds like you’re missing your new friend there, Jean.”

            “Friend?”

            “Duh stupid. Is it that weird to call Marco your friend?”

            It had been a long time since Jean considered anybody a friend. No one seemed to care about Jean enough to make him think of them as beyond acquaintances. But, Jean knew Marco was different, knew that he was beyond caring. Marco made Jean feel needed. “No it’s not. Marco is definitely my friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Thanks to all the people who have gave kudos, made bookmarks, and left comments for this fic so far! I really appreciate it! If you have any more comments or suggestions, feel free to let me know! See you guys later! (Hopefully earlier than last time)


	4. Never Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is always a time where someone needs to let go. It is only then when you find the wish you have always been searching for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look who actually finished a chapter in less than a month! Thank you guys for all the lovely comments and kudos, I really am grateful for such positive results of my fic. Consider this chapter a celebration for this fic having 500+ hits. YAY! Before you read on, I would like to warn anyone who are sensitive to some things that there are slight mentions of blood and a section of this chapter might be a trigger for depressing or negative thoughts. Be careful! Enough of my rambling, please enjoy!

As soon as morning arrived, Jean set off to meet his friend Marco. He couldn’t stop saying that word ever since Eren helped him have an epiphany the night before. Being able to call someone a friend without feeling like a filthy liar made Jean ecstatic. He wasn’t even paying much attention when he talked with Eren. At one point, Eren managed to spew out utter nonsense to his brother without breaking Jean out of his daze. It was only a matter of time before Jean became completely hysterical.

Jean continued to sail onwards while humming any song that came to mind. He even managed to match the tune of the one that kept getting louder in his head. He didn’t even bother to navigate normally. All Jean needed to do was to relax and enjoy the view. It felt as if it took only mere moments for Jean to reach his destination. Although he had been eager to see Marco again, Jean couldn’t stop his nerves from making him nervous.

After a few seconds of mental preparation, Jean slowly made his way out of the cabin. He kept telling himself to ignore his sweaty palms and twitchy fingers. The salty breeze greeted his nose, making him cringe a bit. Jean wasn’t surprised to see Marco already sitting on the edge of the boat, but he wasn’t expecting his heart to be racing. At first he thought it was because he was focused on the deep curve of Marco’s back, but he realized his hesitation stemmed from a much more innocent part of his mind. Jean opened his mouth, but no words seemed to form on his lips. He wasn’t sure what to say; he had accepted Marco as a friend, but did the siren feel the same way? Should he act more cordial towards Marco? Maybe just continue acting like a jerk? Jean scratched his head and was unaware that Marco was already in front of him.

“Hey, Jean.” Marco smiled.

“Hmm…” Jean was still out of it and continued to rub his hair. “Hmm…”

“Jean, is there something wrong?” Marco lowered his head and waved his head in front of Jean’s face. “Hello? Anybody in there?”

Jean blinked a couple of times. “H-huh? Oh.” Alright man, Jean thought, here’s your chance to say something cool. Don’t fuck this shit up. “Hi Marco.” Nailed it.

“Dude, you should have seen your derpy face.” Marco chuckled. “I should have taken a picture.”

“Shut the fuck up. I was thinking about something okay?”

“You were thinking?!” Marco faked a surprised voice. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“You’re such a bitch.”

“I’ll gladly be your bitch any day, Jean.” Marco winked.

Jean immediately flushed. “M-Marco! Damn it, why do you have to make everything so gay?” He looked away.

Marco shrugged. “It’s a habit.”

Jean couldn’t believe Marco could say such a thing so casually. “You’re so unbelievable.”

“Thanks. So,” Marco walked to stand next to Jean and put his arm around Jean’s shoulder. “What are we going to do today?”

Jean moved away from Marco’s hold and scowled. “If you are going to hang up here today, you are definitely putting on some clothes first.”

Marco giggled when Jean hid in his cabin as soon as he handed Marco a new set of clothes. It seemed like he wasn’t willing to get fooled again. Marco honestly wanted to tease he dweeb a lot more, but knew he had to restrain himself before he gave Jean a stroke or something. He held up his new outfit in the air; Jean had given him a blue v-neck shirt and some khaki pants. He really should be a stylist, Marco thought. It was really odd that Jean didn’t show this skill more often. Some decent clothes would probably make Jean look less like a grumpy old man. Marco got changed and knocked on the cabin door.

“You can come out now, princess.”

“Who the fuck are you calling a princess?” Jean opened the door slowly.

“Don’t deny it Jean. It must be so hard for you not to look at Prince Charming’s rocking bod.” Marco tried to do a noble, yet sexy pose.

Jean scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Oh please. Don’t flatter yourself. Your body may be… impressive, but that doesn’t change the fact that this ‘prince’ will always smell like moss and seaweed.” He poked Marco’s chest, but was surprised when the siren took a hold of his wrist.

Marco yanked Jean to have him in a gentle embrace. He put his lips inches away from Jean’s ear. “I’m pretty sure this princess loves this smell.”

“Marco!” Jean could already feel his knees buckling, so he pushed Marco away. He rubbed his burning cheeks.

“Looks like I win this round, princess.” Marco smirked.

“Whatever fucker. If you want to be a fucking prince, then you’re going to be a fucking gentleman and help me with my work today.”

“Of course, I must not let my lady be burdened with such strenuous tasks by herself.” Marco bowed.

“What am I going to do with you? C’mon, we’ve spent enough time dicking around. I have to explain a lot of shit to you so shut up and pay attention.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

When it came to working, Marco noticed that Jean had an entirely different demeanor. He explained every bit of the process with ease and stopped a couple of times to see if Marco had a question. The knowledge of catching fish came flowing out in a steady stream. Jean even mentioned some small tips and tricks as if they were written on the back of his hands. Marco was amazed by how much he already understood about this. All he needed to do was to put this new knowledge to practical use.

The boys were walking to the levers when suddenly, Jean stopped in his tracks. “Oh shit. I didn’t even ask you if you were okay with capturing fish. I mean, you are a sea creature too…”

“Don’t worry about it. Fish and sirens don’t really get along anyways. Plus, I understand you humans eat them on a daily basis. I’m not that sensitive you know. I appreciate your consideration though.”

Jean sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I think I have said most of what you need to know. You think you’re ready to show me what you’ve got?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Marco knew he was in for some difficult tasks when he saw Jean smirk.

Jean tried not to laugh his ass off when Marco was trying to put an empty net in the water. Marco was unsure about most of the process that Jean had demonstrated just minutes prior to this. It should have been a no-brainer, but the siren appeared to have a horrible sense of self-esteem.  With each new lever he had to pull, Marco always glanced at Jean for some sort of verification that he was doing everything correctly. Jean considered it to be okay at first, but he got ticked off when Marco started to silently ask for help every few seconds.

“Marco. You saw what I did earlier. Just do the exact same thing and you’ll be fine.”

“B-but-“

“But nothing. Stop using me as a handicap and get this shit done.”

“…,” Marco fidgeted.

“Just don’t be nervous, dude. Take as much time as you need; it’s not like I have anywhere else to go today.”

Marco nodded. He pondered about what lever he had to pull next and eventually got back to work.

Jean hated to admit it, but he lost his concern for the possibility that one of his nets could get ruined. His focus was drawn to Marco’s childish facial expressions. Marco had a habit of sticking out his tongue when he was deep in thought. When he did something wrong, he puckered his lips in a frustrated pout. His eyes moved back and forth rapidly, holding back so he wouldn’t look at Jean again. But, Jean decided he enjoyed seeing one face more than all the others. The small grin that Marco tried to hide by biting his lips was the cutest thing Jean had ever seen. The slight blush that came with it almost made Jean’s heart leap out of his chest. Stop it dumbass, Jean thought, He is supposed to be your friend remember? Don’t make this any more awkward and gay than it needs to be.

The sudden splash the net made startled Jean and he took a deep inhale of air.  He was left breathless when he caught a glimpse of Marco’s elated smile. Marco was literally bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

“Jean…”

“Yeah?”

“I DID IT!” Marco sprinted towards Jean and tackled him hard on the ground in an unexpected embrace. “This is awesome!”

“Not when you almost gave me a concussion, stupid.”

Marco released his hold of Jean so he could look at him. “Oh my. I’m sorry! I just got really excited and couldn’t hold all my energy in. Don’t be mad-  Jean?”

Jean felt the heat rush in his cheeks when he had fully processed what was going on. Marco was towering over him; he wasn’t pinned down or anything, but Marco’s hands and knees practically made Jean feel helpless as they nearly brushed against his shoulders and legs. Their breaths slowly mingled together and for Jean, it felt as if time itself had stopped for him to relish his bubbling emotions.

“Jean…” Marco gradually made his way closer to Jean’s face. No this can’t be happening, Jean thought. He stared at Marco’s eyes. which had returned to almost the same ferocity from when he had revealed himself to be a siren. Yet, for some odd reason, Jean could sense a fair amount of tenderness in those chocolate brown orbs. No one had ever looked at him that way before. He had no idea what Marco was trying to tell him and he didn’t have the slightest clue on how to figure this mystery out before the two of them locked lips. With so much uncertainty rattling in his brain, Jean couldn’t help but clench his eyes and wait for the inevitable to happen. However, Jean felt all the tension disappear and was surprised to that Marco had gotten off of him.

“I’m sorry. I took it too far,  didn’t I?”

Jean felt his heart being crushed as he saw Marco looking down at the ground. His fingers were curled up and his shoulders were shaking tremendously. If Jean didn’t know anything about the situation, Marco would have looked like he had committed the biggest mistake in the world. “It’s fine. It was probably just another habit of yours, right?”

Marco lowered his head even more. “I guess…”

“Don’t be hard on yourself, man.” Jean put a hand on Marco’s shoulder. “ I mean, you got your first net in the water. I was pretty psyched when that happened to me too. I’m not mad or anything, okay? I get that sometimes your feelings can make you react before your brain does.”

Marco let out a small laugh. He shifted from his position of groveling and sat with his back straight. “The princess sure does know how to make her prince to not feel like a douche.”

“I thought we were done with this retarded ‘princess’ shit.”

“I think I will keep this subject going on for a VERY long time.”

“You’re such an ass.”

“Thank you.”

Marco praised the gods that the awkwardness between the two of them had evaporated smoothly. Both of them had begun to know each other’s and interests and quirks. It became a snap to return to their previous flow. After a few more lame jokes, Jean let Marco handle the rest of the nets, despite Marco’s opposition. He was dumbfounded by how much faith Jean had in him. The fact that Marco was a siren, a creature famous  for its sinister mischief and utter betrayal, was thrown aside for a trust that somehow felt natural to have.

Jean had to go back inside the cabin to move the boat to a new location, leaving Marco alone with all the equipment outside. The occasional splash of the water against the hull was one of the only things that told Marco that they were in motion. Even with the boat moving at a sluggish pace, it began to shudder and groan louder with every passing minute. Marco probably never heard this before since he had drowned everything else out with his singing just a few days before. Jean really is asking for a death wish, Marco thought. Nothing on this death trap was new; everything had a bland tone after being used for countless years. Marco retracted his uncomfortable teeth and released his ultra sharp ones. He used his tongue to brush along the pointed tips of each tooth. They were duller than what Marco was accustomed to, but he knew that he had the ability to snap everything in half without a second thought. How simple would it be to sink something as small as this pesky fishing boat?

“Hey Marco!” Jean ran up to the dazed boy. “We’re already at the next spot. Get to it.” Jean shoved Marco’s back lightly.

Marco blinked a few times before responding. “Oh, really? I didn’t even notice.” He laughed nervously.

Jean gave him a confused look. “You alright there? Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Not really…”

“Then lighten up, you worrywart. We only have until nightfall to get this shit done.”

“Right! Let’s do it to it!”

Jean facepalmed.

“What?” Marco pouted. “Does no one say that anymore?”

“That phrase has been dead for years, Marco. Never say that again.”

“But I like it! It’s cute.”

“All the more reason not to say it.”

“You’re making this such a big deal. I’m still gonna say it, no matter what you say.” Marco took a deep breath. “Let’s-”

“You better stop right now.”

“Do it-”

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

“To it!” Marco jumped in the air for good measure.

“You motherfucker.” Marco yelped and chuckled as Jean gave him a very rough noogie. “This isn’t a game, you!”

“Okay, okay! Just let go you jerk!”

With an extra pair of hands, the work Jean usually handled on his own took much less time to complete. In fact, Jean could have sworn that they had an hour before the sun set. He noticed that Marco was becoming paler again, so he invited Marco to stick their feet in the fish tank together. Marco replied with a cheerful tone and almost dived into the salty water. The boys sat next to each other and silently stared at the darkening sky. Marco swayed left to right, while Jean remained still. He avoided looking at the freckled siren since some of his aquatic features had emerged on his face. Jean knew Marco wouldn’t attempt anything, but he wasn’t sure he would have much control at such a close proximity to Marco. Jean couldn’t afford to creep Marco out in any way, even it was mainly his fault for Jean’s weird actions.

The quiet atmosphere allowed Jean to think about how ironic this whole situation had become. He wanted to be rid of Marco as soon as possible at first, but the damn siren was persistent. It hadn’t even been two weeks, yet the two were stuck like glue. Aside from the small arguments from when Marco decided to be extremely flirtatious, Jean couldn’t think of anything else that bothered him about this new relationship. Hell, Jean thought, if Marco is this nice to strangers, he probably has a whole bunch of friends underwater… Jean paused. Marco should have been popular, but these waters had always seemed eerily calm.

“Hey Marco.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Not at all. Go for it.”

“Uh, I’m not too sure on how to say this but…”

“Just say what’s on your mind, Jean.”

Jean gulped. “It may be odd for me to ask, but where are the other sirens that are supposed to be with you?”

“...”

“I mean, you are probably one of the top hunters in the group, right? You could have had me as a meal in the first few minutes we met each other. I’m surprised you aren’t in deep shit for meeting up with me so many times.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

“Aww, do you need to keep their location a secret? Are they watching us right now? Please don’t tell me you’re in trouble because of me-”

“Jean.” Jean shivered when Marco called his name with a feral growl. “I will tell you later, okay?”

“But-” Jean jumped when he heard some wood snap. He looked to see that Marco had broken the edge of the tank with his inhuman grip. Marco’s palms had stained the area with fresh blood as stray splinters were lodged deep inside his hands. “Marco-”

“Stop. I’m leaving for today. Good night Jean.” Marco stood and shed his clothes off. He briskly walked to the edge of the boat, but turned around when he heard Jean’s footsteps behind him. He stared at Jean with an intimidating glare. “Sit.” Jean’s body betrayed him and did as it was told. “Stay.” Marco leapt into the water without saying another word.

“Fuck.” Jean slammed his fist down hard on the deck. He was finally able to move his body after a few minutes, but he didn’t even bother going after Marco. He cursed himself for not having enough willpower to resist Marco’s tricks. Jean felt an immense guilt forming within him when he realized that his incessant questioning is probably what caused Marco to resort to using his powers. Jean somberly walked back to his room, nearly flopping straight down on the hammock when he arrived. I’m such an ass. He sighed and let his mental and physical fatigue drag him into a deep slumber,

Thanks to the day’s course of events, Jean was brought back to his recurring dream. Once again, he saw the group of shadows together, but their forms had become more corporeal. The small being was still curled up, this time its hands were covering the places where its  ear would be. Jean noticed that this place was void of any noise; so why was the cornered shadow so afraid of what it would hear? The answer was clear when Jean focused his attention on the other shadows.

Instead of looming over the scared shadow, they merely stood next to it, with as little presence as they could possibly have. Their motions were barely noticeable, but Jean could easily interpret what they meant. Their shoulders, which were rising and falling at a rhythmic pace, and their hunched positions could only mean one thing; all of these shadows were laughing at the defenseless one. Jean didn’t hesitate to run through the crowd to find the lonely shadow. An overwhelming urge to protect it overtook Jean and it most likely wouldn’t go away until he did something to bring comfort in this dark place. He lunged forward, using all of his might to link his hand’s with the shadow’s. Jean gasped when their fingers touched; he was actually going to do it this time.

Suddenly, Jean felt his stomach lurch. His eyes flew open and realized he was in mid-flip. He could only watch and feel himself fall on the floor face first. He grunted in pain and frustration. He should have known his success was too good to be true. At least Jean was prepared for the rough day ahead of him.

From another’s person’s point of view,  it seemed as though Marco and Jean were acting normally. But Jean had become very observant of Marco’s actions and knew that this was just a strained rouse that they were both playing into. Marco’s smiles and jokes were forced and he kept his distance from Jean. More moments of awkward silence appeared each time Jean mustered up enough courage to apologize. He couldn’t find his voice and he kept on being bombarded with relentless shame each time Marco let out an exasperated sigh.

Jean’s heart ached immensely by the time it was noon. He didn’t want to deal with these flurry of emotions any longer. His breaths were shallow and his whole body was trembling; it felt like Jean was about to have a heart attack. It should have been so simple to resolve this stupid problem; all Jean needed to do was admit to his ill behavior. Jean scoffed. He was such an awful person and an even more terrible friend. He reluctantly went back to work, trying to repress the feeling of disappointment in himself.

Everything felt as if it were on a thin wire for Jean. One wrong move and the new bond he had formed with Marco could have easily broke. He treaded carefully, being extra mindful when he talked to the siren about the ocean. Although his moments were fake, Jean honestly responded to Marco’s questions and arguments. He didn’t need Marco hating him for lying as well. This decision probably wouldn’t improve the situation, but Jean thought that this might make up for his stubborn cowardice. Another day passed, the sun almost hidden away by the horizon.  Jean was beyond done. He never felt this tired before; he should have been used to acting like he was okay, he did it all the time back home. His hammock was beckoning him to come inside, to collapse in exhaustion and clear his mind for the rest of the night.

“I think I’m going to turn in early Marco.” Jean opened the door. “Have a good night.”

“Wait!”

“Huh?” Jean cocked his head.

“Can… can we put our feet in the water again? “ Marco avoided eye contact and kneaded his hands.

“S-sure.” This is it, Jean thought, you either apologize right now, or you keep being a pussy for as long as you live .

Jean swallowed hard and went to go sit with Marco. A long ripple formed in the water when they put their feet in. This night’s aura was drastically different and made Jean uncomfortable. He looked straight ahead, forced to look at the crushed wood that he made Marco create. His shoulders slumped and resorted to moving his legs in the water to make some noise. He really should have gone to sleep when he had the chance. Jean was at his limit; this tension had gone on for long enough. He was going to end this once and for all.

“Uh-” Jean clasped his hand over his mouth when he realized that Marco had spoken at the same time as he did.

“You go first, Marco.”

“It’s ok, Jean. Go ahead.”

Jean breathed. “I’m……I’m sorry about yesterday. I should have apologized sooner.”

“Oh, that’s okay-”

“I was really rude and forceful. You probably don’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“No Jean, I forgive you-”

“I know I probably wouldn’t want to be friends with someone like me, I understand if you leave right now.”

“But-”

“I do want you to know that have been really awesome and tolerant of me. I don’t deserve to be close with a kind person like you.”

“Jean-”

“I do not know if you felt the same way, but I thought of you as a really good friend, which is hard for me to admit. I’m really going to miss you-”

“JEAN!” Jean felt a hand smack him upside the head. “Please be quiet for a moment. We can still be friends, Jean.”

“Really?” Jean turned to Marco and practically gleamed.

“Yes,” Marco gave a soft smile before furrowing his brows. “I still need to tell you something important though.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about yesterday’s question…”

“Oh Marco,” Jean shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me right away if you don’t want to.”

“The thing is… I HAVE to tell you, Jean. I had no reason to overreact yesterday and if I keep this a secret any longer, it will cause too many misunderstandings. I need you to stay quiet until I’m finished. Understand?”

Jean nodded.

“Here goes,” Marco said as he rubbed his legs. “There’s a reason why you haven’t seen any other sirens with me.  Truth be told, there hasn’t been anyone with me for a long time.” Marco bit the inside of his cheek. “I’ve been a loner for as long as I can remember.” He laughed half-heartedly.

Jean slightly parted his lips, but closed them when he saw Marco mentally preparing himself to continue.

“When I first told you about not wanting to eat you, I was dead serious. I would never eat you because.. I haven’t eaten anyone ever.” Marco took a long breath. “I was never like the others; I actually tolerated, even had some affection for the humans I encountered. Once they noticed my strange behavior,they vowed to make me the ‘demon’ I needed to be.”

Jean inched closer to Marco, noticing the freckled boy becoming more and more shaky.

“It wasn’t my first hunt with the others, but I had always found an excuse to not join in on the feast. That day though, was unlike anything I had ever gone through. They coerced me to be the ring leader of the group, the one who started it… and the one who finished it.”

Jean tried to make eye contact with Marco, but the siren’s eyes were clouded and dark.

“I didn’t mind the luring part of the job honestly. Most fishermen are pretty gullible when it comes to their sexual desires.” Marco stopped himself. “I-I’m sorry. Anyways, I had no trouble getting the person into the water. Their lifeless eyes made it so we wouldn’t see their shock or fear. That wasn’t the case for me unfortunately. They say that eyes are the mirrors of the soul. I saw those mirrors, even through the mist that the other sirens and I had created. They reflected raw horror and suffering.”

Jean wanted to stop Marco; he looked like he was about to faint.

“I had to take the first bite. It was a part of our tradition that we had to uphold. I made the mistake of hesitating. The other sirens shoved me forward, using many fingers to get my jaws to open. They lowered me my teeth down to the person’s neck and… closed my mouth as hard as they could. I…” Marco steadied himself. “ I tasted the metallic rust of the blood; it brought utter disgust to my stomach. I wanted to retch right then and there; I had to go away. I pushed the others off of me and watched… watched…. watched the person bleed to death.” Tears rolled down his cheeks. “ I couldn’t handle what I had just done, so I swam as far away as I could. I didn’t care where I went, but my heart lead me back home, where I thought someone could help me.”

Jean had to do something.

“As you would have expected, I received a rather harsh welcome when I arrived. I didn’t do what was expected of me…. I was supposed to be the prodigy of the group. All the past look of admiration turned into glares of hatred. Everyone told me I was a disgrace, a nuisance, an abomination. They left me… They exiled me… They wanted me to die… I didn’t see any of them again after that. I was here, just here hating my life, hating myself. No one was going to worry about me. No one cared about the pain I felt. I… just… wanted someone beside me…” Marco broke into muffled whimpers.

Jean had enough of holding himself back. He was only inches away from Marco, their shoulders practically touching. He quickly got a hold of Marco’s hand and gripped it tightly. Marco stopped sniffling almost immediately and stared at their hands and then at Jean. Jean gave a slight squeeze before intertwining their fingers together. The warmth between the two of them reached Marco’s heart; this is what he wished for, this was the comfort he craved. He could no longer hold in his cries and placed his face in the crook of Jean’s neck. He heaved and weeped all his sorrows away, clenching a fistful of Jean’s shirt. With so much liquid falling from Marco’s eyes, Jean sat there, waiting for the waves of relief to envelop them that night.

 ****  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Boy this chapter was pretty long wasn't it? It had 4780 words and consisted of 23 hand wriiten pages (Oh my goodness) Like always, don't feel afraid to give comments or suggestions! Also, if you notice any mistakes in general, please let me know. I have to look over these chapters on my own since I have no beta and I tend to miss a few things. See you guys in the next chapter!


	5. Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smallest bit of thanks can turn into something magical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys! Chapter 5!! I have been so anxious about this chapter and now that it's done, I am so relieved. Thanks to all who have put kudos, comments, or have just taken the time to look at this fic! I won't waste anymore time rambling; I will let you guys view the dorkiness now. Enjoy!

The bright light of the sunrise pierced through Jean’s eyes. He felt groggy and his entire body ached; his spine and neck got most of the pain. He stretched his legs, flinching when he realized that they were still wet.

“Fuck.” Jean opened his eyes completely. As expected, he had fallen asleep in the same position he was in last night, feet still deep in the water,  ass still planted on the hard wooden floor. He had no idea how he managed to sleep in an upright position, that is, until he felt the extra weight on his shoulder. It turned out that Jean wasn’t the only one who slept in an odd way. Marco’s entire weight was put on Jean’s side, and he barely managed to keep his head from falling off its narrow spot.

“Hey-” Jean was about to wake the siren up, but a small snore stopped him in his tracks. He turned to the crinkled and drenched side of his shirt;  he sighed when he saw Marco’s relaxed face. Although leftover tears still stained his freckled cheeks, Jean knew that Marco had let everything he was holding in go. With each passing second, Jean began to wonder how long it had been since Marco had been able to get sleep like this. The soft sounds of seagulls in the distance helped Jean forget about how uncomfortable he was getting.

The musky scent entering Marco’s nose enveloped his thoughts like a fuzzy blanket. Sleep wasn’t a natural occurrence for sirens. Yet, as Marco kept his eyes closed, staring at nothing and focusing only on the wonderful smell before him, he pondered why he didn’t feel like ever wanting to wake up. _This is nice_ , Marco thought. He sniffed a little harder;  was this masculine smell coming from someone else? _Nah, the only other person here is Jean… Wait._ Marco precariously opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times to focus his vision. Why was everything slanted? Suddenly, Marco felt his head rise and fall slowly, along with Jean’s shallow breath. The memory of the previous night’s events snapped Marco back to reality.

“Uh…”

“Mornin’. Sleep well?” Jean watched as Marco flushed to a scarlet red.

“M-morning.” Marco rose and covered his face. “I’m sorry!” I didn’t mean to sleep on top of you! Well, not on top of you, sort of on the side of you, on your side,  I don’t know…” Marco continued mumbling inside of his palms.

Jean snickered. “You really need to decide whether you’re going to act like an innocent child or a sneaky siren Marco.”

Marco was silent for a few moments. “... Which side do you like better?”

“Hah?”

“I’m asking if you prefer lil timid me,” Marco plopped his head back on Jean’s shoulder. “Or would you like me to be like this?” Marco licked a small trail up Jean’s neck.

“AHHH!”

Marco looked into Jean’s bewildered eyes. “Something the matter?”

“You know perfectly well what’s the matter fucker.” Jean covered his neck and looked away.

“So?”

“So what?”

Marco frowned. “You didn’t give me an answer yet.”

“You actually expect me to make a choice right now?”

Marco nodded vigorously.

Jean sighed. “It’s your decision, not mine.”

“Boo, such a typical answer.” Marco scoffed.

“Well, what else did you expect to hear?”

“Something like,” Marco coughed and lowered his voice. “‘Oh, my prince, such a difficult choice. My heart is troubled by this ultimatum. Alas, I cannot bring myself to make a decision. I cannot allow a choice that cuts off your freedom to be made. I grant you the duty to figure out your own fate, your own destiny with your own thoughts’.”

Jean gave an unamused glare.

“What?”

“I just fucking said that.”

“Well yeah, but your answer was way too bland. My answer had so much more... spice, more pizazz.”

“I’d rather get straight to the point.” Jean shrugged. “Also, there is no way in hell I would call you ‘my prince’.”

Marco put a hand over his heart and mimicked a sound that resembled an arrow piercing his chest. “I feel much sorrow now that I know that my princess does not acknowledge me.”

Jean groaned.

“Oh whatever shall I do to win milady’s heart? Slay a dragon?”

“You’re so stupid.”

“Bring a million deep sea jewels?”

“Didn’t know you were such a cheesy romantic.”

“Show more skin?” Marco lowered the collar of his shirt to show a bit more of his collarbone. He raised his eyebrows.

Jean rolled his eyes. “Are you ever going to stop with this ‘prince and princess’ bullshit?”

“Not until the princess recognizes the prince as he truly is: strong, noble, and handsome.” Marco puffed out his chest.

“I think the prince needs to get his eyes checked.”

Marco elbowed Jean in the ribs. “I’ve got such a rowdy princess.”

“That’s no skin off my bones. Deal with it.” Jean stuck his tongue out.

Marco only laughed. His voice sounded light and cheery; he was giggling for so long that it finally got to a point where it had become contagious. Jean was helpless as he eventually joined in Marco’s erratic laughing fit. Both boys tried to continue the argument, but their voices were lost in short breaths and huge gasps for air.

Jean hunched over when his sides were hurting. He had no idea why he couldn’t stop laughing; everything just seemed so hilarious to him. If Jean was going to go out this way, he would make sure to haunt Marco for the rest of his day with lame jokes and puns. Just as Jean stopped to get more oxygen, he felt Marco pushing him forward, nearly dropping him in the water.

“Whoa, what the hell?!” Jean flailed before grabbing on to the tank’s edge.

Marco went crazy.

“Oh my god, dude. Don’t fucking surprise me like that.”

“But… your… face… really… need… camera,” Marco exploded into small giggles and snorts.

Jean shook his head. “You’re such a kid.”

“Your face is such a kid!” Marco fell backwards and curled up.  Jean just let Marco finish his outrageous moment and watched the siren give a final heave.

“You done yet?”

“Uh-huh.” Marco rolled over to glance up at Jean. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I got the case of the giggles. I didn’t mean to laugh at you for that long.”

“You sure about that?”

“...Maybe.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling a hell of a lot better now.” Jean gave Marco a gentle smile.

“Y-yeah.” Marco looked down; it felt like his freckles were turning redder than the blush on his cheeks. “Thank you for helping me through my breakdown yesterday.”

“Anytime Marco.”

“I really should give you something in return-”

“Don’t you finish that sentence.”

“But you deserve-”

“That may be true,” Jean kicked his right leg out of the water. “But I didn’t help you for that reason. I’m your friend, right?  It’s only natural for me to comfort you. Just seeing you back to your crazy self is a good enough reward for me.”

“Jean,” Marco hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t like me?”

Jean scratched the back of his head. “What are you talking about? I just told you we’re friends.”

“No, Jean. I meant as in LIKE like me.”

Jean paled and laughed nervously. “Pfft, no. Of course not. What makes you say that?”

“Oh, no reason…” Marco stared suspiciously at Jean.

Jean began fidgeting. “W-what? Do I have something on my face?”

“Yeah, oblivious is written all over it.”

“What? When-” Jean stopped when he realized he wasn’t supposed to take it literally. “Hey! I’m not dense, okay?”

“Whatever you say,  Jean.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“To be honest, not at all.” Marco grinned.

“Your face and your words don’t exactly match up, you know.”

“I think they match together perfectly.”

“Whatever weirdo.” Jean looked away to see that his face his skin was reddening rather quickly. This damned sun has no fucking mercy today, Jean thought. If he was this bad already, he assumed Marco wasn’t faring too well either. “Alright, time for you to get back in the water.”

“What? You want me to leave already?”

“No dumbass. Have you not realized how scorching hot it is right now? I don’t need you to turn into a fucking fish stick by the time noon rolls around.”

“So you are going to stay up here on deck?”

“Hell no.” Jean huffed. “I’m not going to let you have all of the fun today.” He got his legs out of the tank. “I’ll be back.”

Marco hummed in approval.

Jean hoped he wasn’t going to regret his decision.

Marco swished his tail in the calm waves. He always preferred being in the ocean; it made him even more ecstatic since Jean was joining him for today’s swim. It had been a long time since Marco was able to challenge someone to a race. Just because Jean was a human didn’t mean he was going to receive any mercy. Marco was imagining himself doing his victory yell when he heard the cabin door squeak open. It was finally the moment of truth.

“Marco?”

“Over here!” Marco wasn’t prepared when Jean stepped into view.

He was obviously shirtless, but Marco’s jaw dropped when he saw Jean’s low waisted swim trunks. It fit loosely around his legs even though Jean was well endowed with thick muscles. A perfect ‘V’ shape was proudly shown below Jean’ sculpted abs. The elastic band was wrapped around his hipbones, probably just above the curve of his round ass…

“Stop checking me out.” Jean rubbed his arm and turned his head to the side. Marco silently thanked Jean for letting him see such a nice sight of his pretty neck.

“I am  not checking you out.”

“Yeah, you totally are.”

“No I’m not.” _I’m just observing the amazing body in front of me, that’s all,_ Marco thought.

“Yes you are.” Jean tried not to let Marco see his shaking knees. He hadn’t gotten used to the intensity of those dark siren eyes.

“I told you I’m not. Wait a minute…” Marco put a finger on his chin and looked pensive. “This wouldn’t be some weird reverse psychology thing, would it?”

“N-no!” Jean sputtered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…” Jean’s voice faltered.

“Hmmmm-”

“Whatever Marco! I know you’re just trying to confuse me!”

“Am I? I didn’t notice.”

“Like hell you didn’t notice. Enough talk. It’s fucking burning up here.” Jean took a few steps back back before sprinting to jump off the boat.

Marco got sprayed with a thin mist when Jean made a huge splash in the water. It took a few seconds before Marco saw Jean’s head emerge. His hair was drenched, making his tan locks flop over his dark undercut.

“That felt amazing.” Jean tried to blow away the chunk of hair that stuck to his forehead.

“You look ridiculous.” Marco giggled.

“I bet you weren’t thinking that earlier.” Jean gave Marco a knowing look.

“Oh ho,” Marco said sarcastically. “I didn’t know you could be sassy too.”

“I can when I need to be.” Jean smiled smugly.

“Uh-huh, sure Jean. By the way, you should probably stop looking like you’re king of the world.”

“And why should I do that?”

“You’re in my turf now, and there can be only one ruler of the seas.”

“Is that a challenge, Marco?”

Marco raised his eyebrows. “What else would it be?”

“Oh you’re fucking on. Whoever swims under the boat and reaches the other side first is reigned the new king. Deal?”

Marco’s eyes were suddenly filled with concern. “Uh… are you sure you will be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I can hold my breath for a long time.”

“Alright, but I’m stopping this of anything goes wrong.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re just delaying your defeat.”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me. I can’t wait to take my crown back.”

“I’ll make you eat your words, Jean.”

“Oh,” Jean raised his hands. “I’m so scared. C’mon, let’s do-”

“It to it!”

“God damn it, Marco.”

The boys got into position and stared intently at the hull of the boat. Since Marco didn’t need to take a preparatory breath for the race, he was put in charge of saying the countdown.

“Ready-”

Jean cleared his mind.”

“Set-”

Swim, swim to reach the finish line.

“Go!”

Both of them emerged in the water, pushing themselves deep enough to accomplish their goal.  Marco had a feeling that this would be a cinch and restrained himself from going at top speed. _I have this in the bag_ , Marco thought. He almost gasped when a flurry of bubbles blurred his vision.

Jean had managed to pull a bit ahead of Marco in the first few seconds of the race. It astonished the siren that a human could move so fast,  well, fast by human standards. Jean didn’t flail his arms or kick with his legs like the other humans did either. His entire body moved fluidly, resembling the current they were in. Jean locked his body tightly together, making sure he swam as efficiently as possible. He was swimming exactly how Marco did; he was swimming like a siren.

Marco could easily imagine Jean as one of his own. Jean’s trunks morphed into a flowing tail, still retaining its orange hue. The fins had slight tints of pink, which somehow seemed appropriate for Jean. His face changed as well, with his ears being replaced by more fins and gills covering his neck. When Marco looked at Jean’s determined eyes, he knew everything was perfect. As a human, Jean’s eyes were red, barely managing to stay open. But, in Marco’s new image, those hazel eyes were strong and cunning, with a brightness that couldn’t be compared. Jean was made to be in the ocean.

Marco sighed. _It’s too bad he needs air soon,_ he thought, _he would probably love to see everything down here. Oh, at least he is almost to the other side… Wait a minute._  Marco groaned when he realized he stopped in his tracks thanks to his daydream. He was still far beyond the middle of the boat, while Jean was about to start swimming upwards. Marco mumbled to himself about how he never could stay focused during times like these.

Since he wasn’t willing to throw in the towel, Marco reluctantly decided to swim as fast as he could.  He watched everything become a blur, his sights attentive only to the nearing surface. The blinding reflection did not deter him in the slightest; he was almost there… It took him only a fraction of a second to catch up to Jean. The boy’s eyes went wide as the siren whizzed by, winning the race by a landslide.

Jean gasped as he struggled to get some air. He hit the water in frustration. “Shit.”

“Looks like there’s a new king in town. All hail King Marco!” Marco rejoiced by doing a quick spin and pretending to put a crown on his head.

“Stop being so cocky.” Jean grunted.

“Maybe I’m not the one who is cocky,” Marco playfully tugged on Jean’s waistband, “if you know what I mean.”

Jean covered the front of his trunks with both of his hands. “You did not just make a fucking penis joke.”

“Indeed I did.”

“You’re so gay.”

“And so are you,” Marco chimed.

“Shut the fuck up Marco.”

“Thou dost not have the proper authority to speak and address the king in such a rude manner,” Marco said in a regal tone. “Apologize immediately…please.”

“Not a chance, showoff.”

“Showoff?” Marco put the tip of his finger on his chest. “Me?”

“No, Shamu the fucking whale. Of course you, you freaking retard.”

“How am I showoff?”

Jean scoffed. “Don’t act like you don’t know. You literally gave me a headstart, almost to the finish line even. Then, you just rush in like a fucking torpedo and leave my ass in the dust. If that doesn’t spell ‘showoff’, then I don’t know what does.”

“I didn’t mean to do that, really!” Marco blurted out.

“Then what the fuck were you doing?”

Marco froze. “Um, about that-”

“Can’t think of an excuse huh?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Look, it’s just… really embarrassing okay? Promise you won’t  laugh if I tell you.”

“Sure.”

Marco puffed up his cheeks and frowned.

Jean sighed. “Fine. I promise I won’t  laugh okay? Is that better?”

“Much better.” Marco gave a small grin before looking away. “I was distracted.”

“By?”

“...You. Jean, you looked so graceful and pretty when you swam. For a second, I totally forgot about the race. The ocean seems to love you as much as you love it. You were truly breathtaking to watch.”

Jean gulped. “Y-you mean it? You’re not lying, are you?”

“Why would I lie about something like that? You’re something else when you’re underwater.”

“I could say the same thing about you.”  Jean’s blush was crawling down his neck.

“Jean, how can you be so cute?” Marco swam over to pinch Jean’s cheeks.

“Ow, tha’ hurffs. Stawp it.” Jean managed to slip out of Marco’s rough grip. “Are you trying to rip my cheeks off?”

“Aww, poor baby is getting all fussy. Is it time for your nap, baby?” Marco looked at Jean through his eyelashes.

“I’m not a fucking baby, or cute for that manner. I’m manly as hell.”

“Oh, but of course,” Marco slid a few fingers behind Jean’s ear. “You are VERY manly.”

“Marco!”

Marco chuckled. “The thing is Jean, people have many different sides to them. You are a prime example of that, especially since you try so hard to be the cold-hearted cool guy. It’s so fun revealing your true nature.”

“What are you-”

“And since you are being such a good sport about it, I’ve decided I will reward you tomorrow.”

“Reward me? With what?”

“Not telling,” Marco sang. “I want it to be a surprise.”

Jean huffed. “I hate surprises.”

“You are such a grouch sometimes. Lighten up.” Marco splashed some water on Jean’s face.

“Agh!” Jean’s face wrinkled. “Some of it got in my nose.”

Marco began laughing hysterically.

“You think this is funny huh? Not for long, asshole.” Jean counterattacked while Marco’s mouth was still open, allowing the water to get stuck in the siren’s throat.

Marco expelled the salty liquid with harsh coughs. “Jean! I could have died!”

“Who’s being the baby now?” Jean raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Marco bit his bottom lip. “It’s on Jean. You have degraded the king for long enough. I do this in the name of glory!” Marco slapped Jean with more water.

“If it’s a battle you want, then it’s a battle you will get, Your Majesty.” The small splashes immediately turned into huge sprays forcing the boys to blindly fight against each other. They tried yelling more silly taunts, but avoided doing so; it was a risk they weren’t willing to take. Short breaths of “ha”’s and “take that”’s were exchanged, the sun lowering further and further to shine a spotlight on this joyous scene. Many hours passed before their arms creaked in exhaustion and their shoulders slumped reluctantly.

“Truce?” Marco panted.

“Just… for… today.” Jean breathed heavily. “Can’t believe we kept this up for this long.” Jean looked up to see the stars twinkling in the night sky.

“Well, I had a kingdom to protect.” Marco wiggled his shoulders. “I don’t know why you were so adamant on winning.”

“Whatever fucker. I’ll beat you one day.”

“In your dreams. Hopefully not in any of your wet dreams, mind you.” Marco winked.

Jean reddened.

“Relax! I was kidding… sort of.”

“If you’re going to apologize, then do it right, you ass.”

Marco only laughed in response.

“Are you ever going to take anything seriously?” Jean snorted.

“Depends on what we’re talking about. If we are talking about your health, then that’s a whole different story.” Marco quietly observed the moon with a serious expression. “Looks like it’s past your bedtime.”

“Bedtime?  Since when have I had a bedtime?”

“Ever since I told you about my surprise. I need you to be up and ready by the crack of dawn. Off to bed now, dear.”

“Yes, mother.” Jean rolled his eyes and climbed back onto the ship.

“See you in the morning Jean.”

“Yeah, night Marco.”

After changing into more comfortable sleepwear, Jean laid on his hammock. The stress he had put on his body earlier had finally hit him full force, making him feel like jelly. The pain was not unbearable since Jean had felt worse when he was forced to go to boot camp during middle school. He was constantly seen in his cadet uniform, undoubtedly giving him the nickname, “Cadork”, for many years. _Marco would die if he found that out,_ Jean thought. He suppressed a small chuckle rising in his throat; the silly siren would never leave his thoughts. With droopy eyes and a calm mind, Jean fell into a deep slumber. He dreamt of Marco’s singing, luring him deeper and deeper into the sea.

It didn’t take Marco long before he grew impatient. The sun was going to rise in a few minutes; what was Jean doing that was taking so long? Marco unconsciously bit his nails, pure panic setting in. His surprise needed to happen on time, no matter what. When Jean came outside, Marco felt a huge weight come off his shoulders.

“I’m up,” Jean stretched as he approached Marco. “Whaddaya want?”

Marco shook his head as he noted the dark shadows under Jean’s eyes. “Not much of a morning person,are you?”

“Not this fucking early.”

“Still as grumpy as ever I see.”

“Stop teasing.” Jean scowled. “What do you want from me?”

“Strip,” Marco stated bluntly.

“Excuse me?”

“We are going for a morning dip, so strip down to your undies Jean. We don’t have time for you to get your trunks.”

“Uh-”

“Come on.”

“Um-”

“Hurry up,”  Marco whined.

“F-fine.” Jean reluctantly got rid of his loose shirt and stretchy sweat pants. Standing clad in dark blue boxers, Jean felt the fresh morning wind brush past him.

“Fuck it’s cold.”

“You haven’t even gotten in the water yet. If the small breeze is bothering you, then you aren’t going to be able to handle the water.”

“Is that so?”

“Yup. Well you might be able to if you rush in like last time. It’s less of a hassle.”

“If you say so,” Jean slowed down his breathing. “Here I go…” He dived straight off the deck, into the freezing water.

Marco smiled sheepishly as Jean’s trembling head emerged. “See? That wasn’t so bad now was it?”

Jean tried to sound stern as his teeth were clattering. “I-it’s f-f-fucking c-cold M-M-Marco. W-what t-the h-h-hell.”

“Just move  around a bit, that will warm you up.”

“Ugh.” Jean swam in small circles until he could feel his toes again. “So, what now?”

“You can hold your breath for a long time, right?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Listen, I’m going to help you look underwater alright? I’m going to take you deeper than you have ever gone before!”

Jean stayed silent.

“You’re going to have to trust me, Jean. All you have to do is keep your eyes open for as long as possible and I’ll do the rest, okay?”

“Okay, I trust you Marco.”

“Great!” Marco positioned himself behind Jean. He looped his arm under Jean’ armpits and grabbed his shoulders. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Jean tried not to panic; his skin had gotten incredibly warm when he was in Marco’s embrace. He was being way too sensitive about this. He was also curious about Marco’s surprise, so Jean quickly  gave a thumbs up for Marco to dive.

“You’re going to love this.” With that last eager statement, Jean was pushed into the water.

Jean was confused; there wasn’t much of a difference looking down in the ocean. It was still much too dark for Jean to see anything clearly. Marco continued to go deeper, but stopped abruptly. It wasn’t until Jean was flipped over that he was aware of what was going on. The first light of day had appeared, shining over a small part of the surface that was in Jean’s view. It started off as a tiny shimmer, but the reflection began to spread across the rest of the water. For Jean, it looked like a million Christmas lights were being turned on simultaneously. The surface was a trove of gleaming jewels. Jean was drawn into the marvelous sight, not noticing that Marco let him go, allowing him to float still on his own. This moment could have taken Jean’s breath away, and it might have since his chest was already beginning to feel tight.

“Jean. It’s amazing isn’t it?”

Jean nodded slightly.

“You like your surprise?”

Jean smiled softly.

“That’s great. We have to get you some air soon though-”

Jean got a hold of Marco’s wrist and gripped it tightly. He didn’t want to leave just yet. Wouldn’t it be okay if he stayed there for a bit longer? He couldn’t imagine anywhere else that had more magic than this place. He wished he could be there forever.

“Want to watch for a little while longer?”

Jean wanted to nod, but he felt his lungs being constricted. Marco took pity when he saw Jean’s pleading eyes.

The siren swam in front of Jean, covering a part of the shiny surface above him. “I can help you if you want.”

Jean’s eyes widened. He didn’t notice how mesmerizing Marco was since he wasn’t in full view until now. Marco’s round face, adorned with those cute freckles and a gentle smile was shown more prominently with this bright background. Jean’s focus went from the small specks of light to Marco’s tender eyes. He didn’t break eye contact and barely nodded.

Jean was no longer surprised as Marco’s face was slowly closing in on his own. He meant to keep his eyes open, but they were slowly closing as he felt one of Marco’s arms caress his waist. In the end, Jean was too weak to resist the strong temptation in his heart. He only saw nothing but pitch black as he embraced the delicate touch of their lips, finally making the contact he subconsciously desired **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Special little side note about Jean's middle school nickname; I used to call my brother that when he was in middle school because he was enrolled in a program called the Cadet Corps. (I still bug him about it too hehehe) Anyways, leave any comment or suggestion if you want and I hope to give you guys another update very soon! Thank you for reading!


	6. No More Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is it you I want  
> Or just the notion of  
> A heart to wrap around  
> So I can find my way around?" - Rain by Breaking Benjamin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE TIME HAS COME CHILDREN. THE RATING FOR THIS FIC; IT HAS CHANGED.  
> Also my apologies for the long wait! A lot of things have been going on, and I might have been distracted with a few oneshots I did. I have no excuse big enough to make up for this. I won't ramble and will let you see what happens with these dorks. Enjoy!

Marco wanted to cherish this rare moment. This kiss, although light and brisk, sent butterflies straight to his stomach. Marco opened his eyes to look at Jean; his eyes were calmly shut and he had a dreamlike expression on his face. Marco was glad that this seemed to be consensual, sighing through his nostrils as he pushed his lips closer to Jean’s. He honestly didn’t have any intention to ruin this sweet moment, but Marco noticed that Jean was becoming pale.

With his sharp teeth, Marco slightly scraped Jean’s bottom lip. When he had Jean’s mouth somewhat open, Marco began to blow slow breaths, making sure the other wasn’t getting overwhelmed. This continued for a few seconds with no problem, but Marco was losing his restraint rapidly. He brought Jean’s body tightly against his own, his free hand sliding up Jean’s back. His tongue was itching with anticipation to taste Jean, to explore the boy’s sweet cavern.

These sultry movements were interrupted when Jean’s palm brushed along Marco’s forearm. Marco assumed that that was the signal to resurface. He pulled away from Jean’s lips, still holding him with a firm grip. He swam upwards at a casual pace and constantly checked on Jean until he felt the gush of rough winds blow the droplets of water off of his hair. Jean inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. Marco came to the realization that Jean had been in some sort of daze. The shocked boy was blushing a soft pink and looked down when he felt Marco’s stare on him.

“Are you okay Jean?”

Jean said something in a hushed voice.

Marco tried to swim closer to him. “Jean?”

“I-I said I’m fine,” Jean stretched his arms out in front of him.

“You sure?” Marco frowned. “You’re acting a little strange.”

“I think I just need to get out of the water.” Jean shuffled as he climbed back on deck. He went straight for the cabin door.

“Hey Jean-”

The boy went inside and slammed the door.

Marco flinched. “Okay. Bye.”

With weak legs finally giving in, Jean collapsed, his back leaning heavily on the door. He couldn’t even out his breathing; he put his hand over his chest, wondering if some water he remained stuck inside of his lungs. Jean’s fingers slid upwards, freezing just before they made contact with his lips. _What did I fucking do,_ Jean thought. _I’m acting like such a fucking girl._ All Marco did was help him stay underwater. It surely wasn’t a kiss with romantic desires behind it, was it? Jean’s mind was going crazy with thoughts filled with joy, hope, hesitation… doubt. He let his whole body flop to the floor, groaning when his face touched the cold wood. He wished that he could just sleep here forever.

Eventually Jean stopped wallowing in self-pity and went to the kitchen. His stomach was tired of him being such a wuss and bellowed for Jean to get some food. Jean opened the pantry and grabbed the first can he felt in his hands. He turned on the stove and put his only pot on top of it. It was only until Jean grabbed the can opener that he decided to look at the can’s label. _Great,_ Jean sighed. _Going to eat beans for breakfast… again._

Jean didn’t bother to look at the serving size and proceeded to dump all of the can’s contents into the warm pot. He found the ladle across the counter, stirring slowly when the beans began to bubble. His focus kept drifting to the window; Jean could barely see Marco still floating there in the water. His heart began to ache when he imagined the siren having a forlorn expression. Jean felt helpless as his legs stayed put, too shocked to go outside the kitchen just yet. Jean cursed himself and hoped he could apologize to Marco later.

Marco waited. He literally had all the time in the world to just float there and wait for Jean to come back outside. Marco put his palms on the surface of the water and raised them a few inches in the air. He watched the droplets fall and make small ripples. He raised his tail fin and watched it shine with the sunlight. Marco even began to count the freckles on his arms. He had to do something to keep any negative thoughts away.

A couple of hours passed before Jean decided to show his face again. He noticed that it was too quiet when he took a few steps onto the deck. Did Marco get pissed off and leave early? Jean would understand if he did; he would have left too if someone took this long. He walked to the edge of the boat, expecting to see an angry or absent siren. Instead, he saw Marco intently looking at his hand.

“Eighty-one, eighty-two-”

“Marco?”

Marco peered upwards. “Oh, hi Jean!” He quickly glanced back at his hand. “Shoot! I lost count again!”

“Lost count?”

“Oh,” Marco giggled a little at Jean’s confusion. “I got a bit bored waiting for you, so I decided to count all of my freckles. I was counting the ones on my forearm at first, but I couldn’t keep track of which ones I already counted. My head started to hurt, so I decided to make it easier on myself.” He grinned sheepishly. “Well, it was supposed to be easy, but my mind was too anxious I guess.”

Jean raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not! Why would I be mad?”

“I did take a long fucking time to come out.”

“Well, you probably had a lot to do. You skipped breakfast, were most likely really dry because of the salt water, and probably in need of more sleep. You had to take care of all that, right?” Marco smiled gently.

“Yeah.” Jean’s heart started to beat faster. Marco was so understanding-

“Plus you couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss, huh?”

Jean’s face reddened immediately. “N-no!”

“Don’t lie to me Jean. It’s pretty obvious. I mean you have had your eyes on my lips ever since you got out here.”

“No I haven’t,” Jean sputtered. He felt his voice falter; was he actually telling the truth? His mind wavered and Jean cringed when the thought of him being obviously flustered came. He couldn’t help but stare more intently at Marco’s face. He was pretty sure he was giving Marco direct eye contact, but soon his eyes drifted past those soft eyelashes, that small nose, and finally… to a flash of white teeth curved into a huge smirk.

“Got you.”

“What-” Jean took a while before he got the gist of what was happening. He scowled. “You fucker. You did that on purpose.”

Marco tried not to burst into laughter as he watched Jean give the most adorable glare he had ever seen.”I can’t help it Jean. You have the best reactions ever.”

Jean shook his head. “Why am I still your friend?”

“Don’t be like that.” Marco began climbing up the edge of the boat. “You know you can’t resist your prince’s smooth moves.” Marco put a lot of emphasis on the word ‘prince’,

“Not this shit again. I bet I have even better moves than you do.”

“Oh really?” Marco gave him a challenging look. “Come prove it to me.”

Jean froze and swallowed a huge bubble of air. Was Marco being serious? “Uh-”

“Gonna chicken out already?” Marco raised an eyebrow.

“Fuck no.” Jean’s competitive side took over and he ended up in front of the siren. Marco’s head was slightly above the railing, so Jean used the chance to raise Marco’s chin with his finger. “You sure you will be able to handle this?”

“I won’t know unless you show me Jean.” This was it. All Jean had to do was show Marco how manly he was, and the best way to do that was to initiate his own kiss.

“Marco…” Jean placed two more fingers under Marco’s face so the other had nowhere to run. But, as Jean started to close the gap, he noticed that Marco had an intriguing expression on his face. Marco didn’t look hesitant on the slightest, his sharp eyes bright with a defiant aura. He bit a small part of his lip, giving him a strong look of lust and desire. Jean tried to keep himself steady since he was so close to accomplishing his goal; there was no way in hell that he was going to turn back now.

Their lips were only a hair’s length away; Jean stopped for a moment to admire his progress. Just as he was going to go for the kill, Marco decided to whisper something. “Do it babe,” Marco let his warm and long breath spread across Jean’s puckered lips. “Make me yours.”

Jean let out a whimper, stumbling backwards as he tried to cover his flushed neck. Marco let out another seductive look before bringing out his silly self once more. “Looks like I win again, princess.”

“Fuck.” Jean tried to regain his composure. “That was obviously a fluke. I want a fucking do-over.”

“Too bad.” Marco stuck out his tongue. “You must really like me Jean. Either that, or you are beyond a holy virgin.”

“Tch,” Jean held his opinion back; both options would make him drown in his defeat.

“Maybe it’s both then?” Marco teased.

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” Jean snickered.

Marco raised his forearm and leaned against the railing. “To be honest, I’d rather be full of you.” He winked.

Should have seen that coming, Jean thought. He only groaned in response.

“Are you finally relenting, princess?”

Jean stayed silent.

“Hmmm. Using the silent treatment, huh? Do you need me to come up there? You might have gotten sick because of me.” Marco motioned his finger over his throat.

“I’m fine.” Jean crossed his arms.

“I don’t know Jean, you look pretty sick to me.” Marco hopped over the railing. “Maybe you got bitten by the love bug.”

“Don’t come closer.” Jean took a few steps backwards.

“Why are you running Jean? I’m not the one who isn’t feeling well. I’m taking a huge risk coming near you; after all, your sickness might be contagious.” Marco kept advancing, eventually backing Jean up into a corner.

“Marco, don’t come any closer…” Jean huddled into a ball on the floor. He covered his face with one of his arms.

Marco was still a few feet away, so he continued to come closer. He didn’t want to admit that his heart dropped with Jean’s last statement, so he decided to continue his sly facade. “Why do you say that?”

“You’re…”

“I’m?” Marco stopped a few inches away from Jean’s cowering figure.

“You’re still naked.”

“Huh? Oh…” Marco looked down to see his body being completely bare. He also noticed that his crotch was at the same level as Jean’s hidden face. He tried not to smile as he cleared a path for Jean to go through. “Whoops. Maybe you want to fetch me some clothes then?”

Jean nodded tentatively. “Excuse me.” He looked away from Marco as he dashed straight to his room.

Marco’s mischievous laughter only added to Jean’s embarrassment; it also certainly didn’t help calm the trouble he had in his pants either.

Jean grabbed whatever clothing he could find and didn’t even bother checking if they matched or not. He was usually rather meticulous when it came to picking outfits, but Jean just needed Marco to be dressed today. He had to forget about the siren’s dashing body, his soft touches, his charming smile, his unbelievable lips… Jean slammed his head on the dresser. _Dumbass, you should know that it’s too soon to start thinking like this,_ he thought. _Stupid fucking hormones._ He rubbed his throbbing forehead before heading back outside.

Marco happily accepted the clothes that were practically shoved in his face. He went to go find a more private place to change since Jean seemed unwilling to move. _Such a macho dork,_ Marco thought. Once Marco found a suitable place behind a pile of boxes, he dropped the crumpled pile in his hands and picked up the shirt first. It was a light salmon color that contrasted greatly against Marco’s dark skin. The freckled boy wasn’t used to wearing things that were skin tight, but Marco decided not to think about it too much. He wasn’t too surprised to see that he had received black boxers, but his gaze lingered on the pants laying on the floor. _You have got to be kidding me._

A few minutes went by and Jean was beginning to get impatient.

“Hurry up slowpoke!”

“No. I’m not coming out!” Marco whined.

“Why the fuck not?”

“You did this on purpose!” Jean heard Marco stomp his foot.

“Dude, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar! I know you did this for revenge because of my teasing!”

“Did what?”

“Just look, you jerk!” When Marco stepped into view, Jean’s jaw dropped open. The bright shirt Marco had on resembled a lighter tone of skin against his brown face and arms. Jean thought it couldn’t get any worse, but the bottom of Marco’s outfit proved otherwise. The lime green shorts were sort of baggy around Marco’s legs, making them flow outwards. Marco was literally in a perfect pastel mermaid outfit.

“Oh my god. All we need is a long, red wig and I could call you Ariel.” Jean tried to stifle his chuckles.

Marco glared with a slight blush across his cheeks. “I knew it! You totally did this to make fun of me.”

“No, I just grabbed clothes randomly, honest!”

Marco stared suspiciously.

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“Not really. I mean,” Marco gestured his outfit. “There is no way in the world that this was put together merely by coincidence.”

“Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but this was a complete accident.”

Marco huffed. “Fine. But if I’m Ariel, then you’re definitely Eric.”

Jean straightened up. “It’s because I’m handsome, isn’t it?”

“No,” Marco retorted bluntly. “It’s because you have a boat and you’re enamored by my beauty.” Marco put both hands on his hips.

“You always have a comeback, don’t you?”

Marco nodded and hummed.

Jean rolled his eyes. “Well, if you’re going to stay on the boat Ariel, you better help me collect all the fucking fish today.”

“Alright. Let’s-”

“You better not say what I think you’re going to say.”

“What?” Marco frowned. “I was just going to say ‘Let’s get started.’”

“Oh.” Jean scratched the back of his head. “My bad.”

“That’s okay,” Marco draped his arm across Jean’s shoulder. He leaned in and whispered into Jean’s ear. “Because I lied.” Marco quickly retreated and ran towards the maze of levers. “Let’s do it to it!”

“You fucker!” Jean caught up to the siren and smacked his back.

“It had to be done, Jean.”

Jean sighed. “Whatever, I’m done. Let’s-”

Marco was about to open his mouth again but Jean cut him off just in time.

“Shall we get this shit done?”

“Killjoy.”

“Asshole.”

Despite being restricted in his awkward clothing, Marco made sure to do his best with collecting the submerged nets. They were easy to locate since they all had buoys connected to them. The bright colored bulbs helped Marco position the arm correctly. Jean decided to let Marco do this task on his own while he untied the net above the tank and made sure no stray fish escaped. Marco wasn’t entirely sure if he got the more difficult task because Jean had gained more trust for him or because his friend was feeling lazy that day,

The first couple of nets came to Jean in unstable swinging patterns; he was forced to become an obstacle to stop their erratic motions. However, after being slapped by salty scales multiple times, Jean felt like it would be best to give Marco a better sense of direction. The fluid process was stalled so Jean could run over to Marco to give the siren a quick lesson on hand signals. Jean really didn’t enjoy having to repeat himself constantly, but he knew that this would help things to move more smoothly. He also didn’t mind seeing Marco’s adorable expressions of confusion and eventual understanding.

Once all the new explanations were done and out of the way, Jean and Marco’s tag team efforts became incredibly more efficient. The nets were being delivered as fast as lightning, and the tank slowly changed colors as the fishes’ dark shades of blue and green reflected on the water’s surface. The sun was halfway past the horizon when the last batch of fish was gathered. Both boys sighed in relief and wiped the building sweat across their foreheads.

“Good job, Marco.”

“Thanks. You too, Jean.”

“Want to go sit down?” Jean pointed towards the top of the tank.

“Of course!” Marco responded cheerfully.

The boys took to their respective spots and stayed silent. They both needed to catch their breaths, so they just dozed off into their own separate worlds. Marco stared pensively at the newly emerged moon, following the sparse clouds across the dark sky. Jean looked at the ripples surrounding his legs, oddly curious about the place where the small waves collided. Everything was calm, that is, until a fish brushed the underside of Jean’s foot; it made him wince unexpectedly, knocking Marco out of his own deep trance.

“Fuck.”

“What’s wrong, Jean?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Jean made a big splash in the water. “One of the these little shitheads tried to bite me.”

Marco could only giggle. “Jean, I doubt you could feel their tiny set of teeth. Besides, I don’t think they are carnivores.”

“Maybe it’s their way of getting revenge on me.” Jean snorted.

“True. Or maybe they like teasing you as much as I do.” Marco paused to look at Jean. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind biting you either if you get this kind of reaction.”

Jean’s expected blush came right on schedule; Marco would never get over Jean’s shy nature. “Would you stop with all your fucking flirty comments?”

“No.”

“Fuck you.”

“Are you offering? I wouldn’t mind starting right now.” Marco reached for his shirt’s bottom hem to start taking it off.

“Marco! Keep your damn shirt on. You know pretty fucking well I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know.” Marco waved his hand in a shooing motion. “You really have to learn how to take a joke.”

“I think you need to learn how to not make everything so gay.”

“Fair enough. But aren’t you-”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh yes it does. How else would I be able to make you so flustered half the time?”

“I don’t get flustered.” Jean grumbled.

“Of course you don’t,” Marco rolled his eyes. “You just turn red as a cherry when I talk to you just because you feel like it.”

“Exactly.” Jean muttered.

“That was SO convincing,” Marco mocked sarcastically “Blushing for fun is a very valid excuse.”

“Glad you agree.”

Marco snickered then chuckled slightly. “Now I feel jealous.”

“Jealous?” Jean cocked an eyebrow. “Of who?”

“Everyone you know on land.” Marco’s legs swayed back and forth in the water. “They must have fun with you like this all the time.”

“Not at all actually.”

“What? How come?” Marco’s voice was laced with concern.

Jean clenched his fingers. “None of the people around me have ever wanted to get to know me like you have.”

“Why is that?” Marco took a second to provide his own possible answer. “Did they think you were a jerk or something?”

“If only that was the real answer.” Jean sighed. “Sorry, but you’re wrong. They didn’t care about me as a person at all. All they wanted was the money behind my name.”

“Your family is rich?”

“Yup, the Kirschstein name is huge in the medical industry. If you were kind to the heir,” Jean pointed at himself. “They say money would come flying into your hands.”

“Jean…” Marco wasn’t really sure what to say at this point.

Jean laughed nervously. “It’s alright Marco. You don’t have to say anything, I’ve heard it all anyways. Geez…” He sighed deeply. “I didn’t mean to make things so fucking awkward.”

“Look at me Jean.”

“Huh?” Jean looked at Marco’s determined eyes.

“You might think that there isn’t anything more I can do for you. You might think that you have seen and heard all the possible excuses that should make you feel better. You might think that I’m still not trustworthy.”

“I-” Jean hesitated. He was surprised when he saw Marco holding his ground, unfazed by the truth Jean had unconsciously shown.

“I want to tell you that I’m willing to do something that you have already done for me. I will be here for you. You can try to ignore my actions and voice all you want. But, you will always be able to acknowledge me, to feel my presence beside you. Let me be with you.” Marco’s hand inched its way towards Jean’s.

Time slowed down; Jean’s gaze was glued on Marco’s reassuring expression. His muscles tensed up and his breathing became shaky. The oncoming warmth should have comforted Jean, but it intimidated him. Flashes of the past cornered Jean’s thoughts. Shimmers of blinding white teeth and hands with hidden claws were coming too close… Jean’s sudden recoil shocked both boys.

“I… I’m sorry.” Jean’s body headed straight towards his bedroom. He couldn’t bring himself to look back as he stumbled his way to his hammock. A languid creak signaled Jean’s descent onto the soft fabric. The dark ceiling was all that Jean could manage to look at. He let tears roll down his cheek, sobs arise from his throat. He wanted to believe all the kind words Marco had said to him. Jean knew his friend was being absolutely sincere. Yet, his heart cowered in this new light; it didn’t want to be lured into any more traps. Jean closed his eyes, unable to overcome the sudden urge to lose consciousness.

Jean was abruptly thrown back to his first day of preschool. His classroom was filled with curious eyes, both large and small. Jean had become a silent onlooker, observing his smaller self trying to beat his nervousness. The small Jean had just introduced himself to his class, relieved when everyone commended his bravery with claps and loud cheers. In the blink of an eye, Jean saw most of that year fly by. Other small children began to hang out with his tiny self. Their laughter and joy echoed throughout most of the memories whizzing past Jean. He also saw his teacher, along with other adults from the school, praise his good efforts and deeds. There wasn’t a time where the younger Jean wasn’t alone. Someone was always by his side, always behind him, ready to pounce.

Jean blinked again, finding himself in his middle school. A pre-teen Jean stood proudly at attention, making a short speech for the entrance ceremony. He has been given the opportunity to do so since he was the top student of his class. It was clear that his popularity had grown considerably compared to when he was younger. Swarms of people would come to the brash boy, who didn’t mind all the attention he was getting. The confident middle-school Jean wasn’t afraid of taking risks and telling corny jokes. It seemed like he did it most of the time; most of his friends looked like they enjoyed it. It was no wonder the boy didn’t hear the frustrated and annoyed groans behind the strained voices of his supposed ‘pals’.

Another blink. A cocky teenage Jean comes into view, riding his brand new motorcycle to his first day of high school. The usual crowd of people are all over him, but this Jean looks tired. He looks at the others with contempt, realizing that most of them were only concerned with going out with him. All they wanted to do was to see his money wasted on them. It wasn’t as if any of the adults cared either. They comforted the troubled teen, only to ask the boy for his parents’ good graces in return. This Jean had no safe haven; even his home had become a hell ruled by his demanding mother. He was sick of being a Kirschstein, sick of all the lies he had to let go through his teeth. Why he couldn’t he just be Jean? Why couldn’t anyone see him? Why did they all leave when he renounced his title as the next heir? Why did he have to be so lonely when he took his chance at freedom?

Before the dream could go any further, Jean felt his upper body being lifted up. He heard a sharp gasp against his ear, mixed with a short whimper.

“Wake up Jean, please.” Marco’s raspy voice sounded frail, almost as if he had screamed at the top of his lungs. His strong arms enveloped Jean’s back, tensing when one of Jean’s arm twitched. “Jean.” Marco released Jean for a moment before placing his hands firmly on Jean’s shoulder, “Are you alright?”

Jean couldn’t move. His head somehow remained stable enough to meet Marco’s rough gaze. Jean couldn’t tell what kind of face he was making, but he knew it must have been pretty bad. If it was enough to make Marco on the verge of tears, he must have looked worse than death.

“Jean, can you hear me?” Jean felt a hand graze his cheek. “Answer me, please.”

It would have been simple to Marco a small nod or a slight grunt in response. Yet, to Marco’s bewilderment, Jean raised both if his arms to hold Marco’s face. It took most of his remaining willpower to hold that position. He wasn’t sure why he was doing this; maybe it was to make sure that Marco was actually there, maybe it was to soothe his freckled friend. All Jean knew at that moment was that he needed more.

“Jean-” Marco’s long breath turned into a sharp inhale as Jean unexpectedly crashed their lips together.

The first few seconds were spent on treasuring the intimate contact between them. Jean had his eyes open until Marco had closed his own. He slowly moved his lips against Marco, awaiting some sort of reaction from the other boy. Jean hummed as he felt Marco put a hand behind his head.

Marco gently pushed Jean’s face closer to his own, hoping to deepen the kiss. Jean wasn’t sure what was happening anymore, his logic clearly thrown out the window to make room for all the new sensations invading his body. Sparks were flying in all sorts of places; Jean could have sworn his skin was tingling in excitement. Jean finally gasped when Marco gave a good tug on a tuft of his hair.

His open mouth gave Marco access to reach inside. Jean moaned as he felt Marco’s tongue pushing and sliding against his own. He was overwhelmed by the aggressive force inside of his mouth. He had no control of the situation, growing weaker and weaker as Marco enveloped all of his senses. His hands slid down to Marco’s abs, unable to support themselves any further. Jean still wasn’t satisfied; he let out a whimper as their lips parted. He panted heavily, realizing that he needed air to breathe.

“Marco…” Jean’s hand was about to reach for Marco’s pants, but the siren quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Not when you’re like this. You still look so scared.”

Jean looked at him confusedly. He didn’t feel afraid; why would Marco say something like that? Jean was brought back to reality when he saw a tear fall on top of his palm. He hadn’t noticed the continuous streams on both his cheeks and ignored his intense quivering. “Marco, I-”

“Shh, it’s going to be okay. No one else is here; it’s just you and me.”

Jean gradually relaxed and rested his head on Marco’s chest. His ear was pressed right next to Marco’s heart, a steady heartbeat calming his panicked thoughts. Marco began humming a small tune, the vibrations spreading across Jean’s face. With one last sigh, Jean collapsed into Marco’s arms. The siren kissed Jean’s forehead and held the fragile boy carefully. He kept humming his peaceful song, warding off any more nightmares that would plague Jean’s well deserved slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this update! I have a couple of tests and other things coming up soon, so there might be a delay in the next chapter. I hope you will find it in your beautiful hearts to forgive me. Like always, comments and critiques are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	7. Brace for Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good intention leads the siren to a place he never expected to see before. How will he fare with all the new sights before him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look who finally decided to show up to the party! I finally had enough extra time, enough power to defeat procrastination, and enough courage to beat the shit out of writer's block! Nothing I say will ever make up the lost time I could have had with this fic, but I hope there are still people who wish to see this continue! Since I have been away for so long, I could not properly celebrate this fic getting 1000+ hits and over 100 kudos! *hugs all of you precious people who are willing to deal with my shit* Alright, I will waste no more time. Go ahead and enjoy these lame dorks! Good luck~

Jean opened his eyes, feeling groggy and exhausted. He noticed that his body was slumped over, still supported by Marco’s broad chest. He grunted as he tried to sit back up. His usual strength wasn’t there, so his head barely moved. Marco noticed the slight movement and patted Jean’s ruffled hair.

“You’re awake.” Marco’s voice rumbled against Jean’s cheek.

“Barely,” Jean croaked. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not sure. I do know that it is pretty late in the afternoon though.”

“What?” Jean turned his head to the only window in the room. He squinted when he made contact with a blinding light. “Fuck.”

“I would have woken you up sooner, but I couldn’t bring myself to wake up my Sleeping Beauty.”

“Heh. Already spewing out your lame attempts at flirting huh?”

Marco chuckled. “I thought it would make you feel better.”

Jean snorted. “Your pick-up lines aren’t that great dude. I’ve heard better.”

“Have you now?” Marco shifted a bit before speaking. “You should tell me one of these better lines then.”

“Don’t want to.” Jean shook his head against Marco’s shirt.

“Why not?”

“I don’t need you falling for me more.”

Marco hummed. To Jean, it almost sounded like he was trying to hide some laughter. It kind of pissed Jean off that the siren wasn’t taking seriously, even if it was a huge bluff. Jean was too busy reveling in his thoughts to notice Marco closing the distance between their heads. He inhaled sharply as he felt a warm breath on his ear. “Too late.”

With an instant burst of energy, Jean shoved Marco away, causing him to fall off his hammock. A cry left his lips before he crashed on the floor; a whimper came out as the pain spread throughout his back. Jean looked to see Marco already by his side, gently stroking his head.

“I’m sorry Jean. You are probably still in shock from last night. I should have known better than to do that.” Marco lowered his head.

“N-no! It’s okay Marco, really.” Jean inched closer to Marco. “You just surprised me.”

Just as Jean was about to rest his head on the siren’s shoulder, Marco quickly stood up and headed towards the door. “I will be waiting outside.” Jean’s reply was silenced by a loud slam.

With a deep sigh, Jean lowered his face into both of his palms. _So fucking stupid_ , he thought. _Marco doesn’t deserve this kind of shit_. Jean carefully got up, easing his trembling body into a state of relaxation. I hope he’s okay…

The refreshing sensation of the water on his feet made Marco able to breathe normally. He did feel guilty about what he had just done with Jean and honestly wanted to take more time to apologize. However, his body had suddenly become more stiff, his mind was slowly losing consciousness at that point. He didn’t want to worry Jean any further with his own troubles and instinctively went to the closest source of saltwater.

Marco realized that Jean wasn’t coming after him. _I should have said something_ , he sighed. He looked at his reflection, noticing how pale his face appeared. When was the last time I wanted so much sleep? Marco forgot how much energy it took to resemble a human for so long. Since Jean probably wouldn’t come out soon. Marco stripped himself of his neon outfit and dunked the rest of his body into the tank. His tail reappeared immediately, while his teeth and gills remained hidden until he was completely submerged. The fish surrounding the siren retreated to the corners of the cramped tank, leaving a sphere of empty space around Marco.

Breathing in the familiar water made Marco stretch and yawn. _Might as well…_ He swam in the middle of the tank, and got into a comfortable position. Marco fell asleep, his thoughts lingering on ways to say sorry to Jean.

Dim moonlight reflected the deck’s surface when Jean stepped back outside. He didn’t bother turning on the floodlights; there was no fish to collect and the pale light made Jean’s eyes hurt most of the time. He had enough visibility to see the outlines of all his junk. But, there wasn’t a human shaped shadow in sight. _Fuck_ , Jean cursed, _did he leave already?_

“Marco?” Jean walked around to see if the siren was hiding. “You there dude?” The boat was empty, so Jean checked the ocean to see if he could spot anything in his peripheral vision. “Marco?!” The flustered boy called out to his friend a few more times before giving up. “Shit.”

Jean trudged over to the tank as he massaged his throat. He slumped a little as he sat beside the tank. He hadn’t been with Marco for that long, yet Jean felt like it wasn’t the same looking at the night sky without the siren. Jean had grown used to being alone, but it had been forever since he felt lonely.

“At least I got you fuckers to look at.” Jean shifted his hands and knees to peer down at the fish. They didn’t notice Jean’s presence and swam back and forth in the shimmering water. The sight wasn’t as luminescent as before, meaning that Jean’s profits were already making the tank murky. “You guys sure know how to shit.”

The hypnotizing pattern of the fishes swimming caused Jean’s body to feel heavy. He proceeded to lay on the deck and dip his fingertips in the water. Jean’s vision was blurring; he became disoriented as the boat swayed in a constant motion. These kinds of nights intimidated Jean. It was like being emerged in one of those classic ocean horror movies for him.

 _Wait_ , he thought, _are ocean horror movies even a thing?_ As different movie genres were passing by Jean’s thoughts, another small tune grew in the back of his mind. Jean wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded like the Jaws’ theme song…

A strong force latched onto Jean’s submerged fingers. “What the fuck.” He struggled to free himself until he saw bubbles rise from the tank. Marco kept laughing until the froth piled up around him. “You cheeky bastard.”

“Hi Jean.” Marco flashed one of his sweet smiles.

“You are literally trying to give me a heart attack aren’t you?”

“Can’t resist my unbelievable charm I’m guessing?” Marco’s pointed teeth were shown in a sly grin.

“No dumbass. Your retarded pranks are the things that will kill me.”

“Oh Jean. I know you love my pranks. You have to admit, that last one was pretty jaw-some, don’t you think?”

Jean groaned. “Not the puns please.”

“Fine. Guess you didn’t get a bite out of that one-”

“Did you just-”

“Absolutely not.”

Jean sat up. “Well I guess your plan to annoy me worked out Marco.”

“Actually this wasn’t planned.” Marco ran his hands through his hair. “I was going to wait for you here since I needed to refresh myself but I guess I fell asleep. I just happened to wake up at the perfect opportunity.”

“That tired huh?”

“Mhm. But now I feel like I’m on top of the world!” Marco spun around. His face changed into an expression of concern when he looked back at Jean. “Do you feel better though?”

Jean coughed, doing his best to cover his blush. “Not really sure. I hope I am. I need to go face people tomorrow anyways…” His voice started to falter.

“I see…” Marco pouted for a moment before he suddenly perked up. “I know! How about I go with you tomorrow?”

“Hah?” Jean cocked his head. “What is that going to do?”

“I can be your moral support. If you are still freaked out, then you can always lean on me.” Marco pointed at his shoulder.

“You’re not going to accept no as an answer, will you?”

“Not at all.”

“Do what you want- No I do not mean that sexually.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Says the biggest pervert on this boat.”

“You’re way more of a pervert than I am.” Marco snickered.

“I’m not the one making all the dirty jokes here.”

“Well I’m not the one responding to all the jokes, now am I?”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Gotcha.”

“Ugh, You’re lucky I have to go to sleep early to sail the boat back to the port.”

“I wouldn’t mind your boat going into my port.” Marco winked.

“Really?”

The siren shrugged.

Jean groaned. “I have to remember to watch my wording when I’m with you tomorrow.”

Marco gleamed. “You’re actually letting me go?”

“There’s no use in arguing when you are going to follow me anyways.”

Marco squinted. “You know me so well.”

“That’s because you’re so predictable sometimes.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Oh yeah? Then what am I going to do right now?”

Jean scoffed. “Easy. You’re going to try and make blush by showing your junk when you get out of the water.”

Marco huffed. “Know-it-all.” He pulled his body out of the tank.

“Dumbass.” He was supposed to be prepared for Marco’s reveal, but Jean still felt his cheeks warm up.

“Guess I can’t surprise you anymore tonight.” Marco laughed. He glanced at his own body and made a face of disgust. “These fish are disgusting.”

“Too much shit in there?”

“If you want to put it bluntly.”

Jean chuckled. “Who knew that a siren could feel dirty in saltwater.”

“Who wouldn’t feel dirty after sleeping in that?” Marco pointed to the grime that was gradually collecting on the sides of the tank.

“You got a point there.”

“Besides, there is no circulation in that thing. At least the ocean has a current to take care of the… excretion problem.”

“You sound like you are a total clean freak.”

“Well, excuse me for caring about my personal hygiene.” Marco crossed his arms.

“Remind me to never let you sleep in the tank again.”

“That would be much appreciated.” Marco looked behind him. “I should go clean myself. I don’t want to smell like- you know, tomorrow.”

“Yeah, smelling like one of the port’s daily drunkards wouldn’t be the best idea.”

“Right. See you in the morning then.”

“Later Marco.”

Marco was about to hop off the boat, but glanced at Jean again. “You might want to turn around.”

“Why?”

“Do you want to drown again?”

It hadn’t crossed Jean’s mind that Marco could accidently lure him into the waves again. Talk about losing your guard Kirschstein, he thought. “Thanks Marco.”

“Anything for my oblivious princess.” Marco grinned.

Jean went to face the cabin. “Way to kill a good moment asshole.”

“I’m not so predictable, huh?” Jean heard a huge splash.

“He got me.”

Despite the events that occurred just hours ago, Marco couldn’t contain his excitement. He had swam non-stop while his human friend was most likely getting more rest. It had been a long time since Marco had a reason to be on land (besides hunting of course). Jean’s life on land was still a mystery to the curious siren, so Marco was determined to find out as much as he could.

The crack of dawn barely presented itself when Marco heard Jean step onto the deck. “Yo Marco!”

“Yeah?” Marco put his arms over the boat’s edge. Jean still looked incredibly exhausted; the bags under his eyes darkened Jean’s expression.

“Fuck the old geezers fro having such a shit schedule.” Old geezers?, Marco thought. “Listen, even though I managed to wake earlier than usual, we’re still limited on time. We might not be able to formulate much of a plan when we get to the port. I’ll just give you the basics before we head off, understand?”

Marco nodded.

“Okay. First, we can’t have everyone seeing you in the nude. On the first glimpse of the port, you have to come up here and change into a new outfit. Got it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. Second, you can keep your siren teeth and all that until I stop the boat.”

“Gotcha.”

“Alright, now for the final thing. It is of the utmost importance that you follow this rule.”

Marco stayed silent so Jean could continue.

“I know it’s a habit for you or some shit, but you can’t make as much dirty jokes as you’re used to. Making one joke every once in a while is fine, but you can’t make things seem gay.”

“Why?”  
“You’ll see when we get there. Let’s go.” Jean disappeared in a flash and the boat roared to life.

Although the boat was going at top speed, Marco was able to keep a steady pace without putting much effort. Marco wasn’t sure if he should have been worried about the new people he was going to meet; Jean had a terrified look on his face before rushing off. Maybe people had gotten crueler over the years and Marco was unaware of the change. He didn’t want to add any extra tension to the situation, so he kept a positive outlook while keeping up with the worn out boat.

The sun was nearly at its peak when Marco could make out a faint outline of buildings on the horizon, He hopped aboard and walked to the pile of neat clothes awaiting him on top of a crate. He picked up the white t-shirt first; he saw that the sleeves were completely ripped off. Marco giggled before putting on one of Jean’s work shirts on. Like usual, he had received a dark pairs of boxers, along with some khaki shorts. Marco was thankful that he would look like a normal fisherman today.

The siren figured they had a couple of ways to go before they arrived. Marco grudgingly sat down and put his feet in the tank. He felt his teeth and gills emerge at the first moment of contact with the saltwater. Since there was a possibility of accidentally getting wet at the port, Marco forced his siren attributes to go away. It pained him to keep his human appearance in such conditions, but he knew it was a huge risk to reveal his true identity. He repeated the process over and over until they were only a few meters away from their destination.

As the boat approached the docks, Marco couldn’t believe how crowded everything was. There were countless boats. only inches away from each other. Each store was squished in between each other; they could have been mistaken as one unified strip. The siren’s mouth gaped open when he saw how many humans were gathered here. Were they all less of the ocean now?

“Fuck yeah!” Jean yelled as he pulled into a vacant space. Another boat behind them blew its horn. “Too late now sucker!” Jean stepped outside to tie his boat up. He seemed ecstatic that he was able to settle down before his competitor did. His smile grew wider when he saw that one of the competing crew members gave him the middle finger. “Marco, welcome to the port.”

Jean wasted no time and went straight to his buyer. He was more than happy to get rid of all his product off of his boat. With Marco right behind, Jean stormed in the familiar rickety fish shop. “Hey! Pixis, I got your shit!”

Marco jumped at Jean’s blunt statement. He assumed that people would be more kind when it came to business. An old man appeared from behind the counter holding some sort of canister in his hand. “Ah Kirschstein,” the man’s mustache bounced as he hiccuped, “you finally made it. Do you know how long I have been waiting?”

“Don’t give me that old man. You were probably enjoying your free time drinking your booze huh?”

The man scoffed. “What makes you think I did tha-” A sudden hiccup cut him off.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe your red face and nasty ass breath gave it away.”

The man rolled his eyes. There is no need to be sarcastic, my boy. I wonder where you got that foul mouth from, certainly not from that quiet boy behind you.”

Marco gasped and stepped to the side to reveal himself. “Um, hello.”

The man guffawed. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a new face.” He stepped away from the counter to approach Marco. “My my, you look like such a sweet boy.” Jean snickered. “So, what made you want to hang out with an asshole like him?”

“What the hell?!”

The man nudged Marco’s shoulder. “I mean, surely you can do better than Kirschstein over here.”

“What-”

“His looks are so unkempt.”

Jean crossed his arms. “Like you look any better old man.”

“His ego is as inflated as a blimp.”

“No it fucking isn’t-”

“He is exceptionally rude,” the man put his hands over his heart,”especially towards his elders.”

“Hold the fuck-”

“See? He keeps interrupting me.”

“Let me just-”

“And what an irresponsible lad he is too. He doesn’t even bother to introduce us to each other. What’s your name son?”

Marco tried his best not to giggle. Jean was staring daggers behind the old man as Marco shook hands with him. “I’m Marco, sir.”

“Marco? What an unique name, certainly not a name that is common around these parts. Are you more familiar with different waters, Marco?”

The freckled boy cocked an eyebrow. He never expected to be asked such a question. “Why, yes I am. This is completely different from my home.”

The old man’s eyes lit up. “Are you perhaps from a tropical area?”

“Yes sir.”

“Jean, my boy, you have struck gold! We don’t get much people who are used to warmer climates to help around here. Marco, will you be working with Kirschstein from now on?”

“If Jean allows it, Mr…”

“Goodness! I haven’t introduced myself. I am Pixis. owner of the Garrison, the best fish and bait store on this here port!”

“That’s what he likes to think,” Jean muttered.

Pixis pouted. “I see you still have no respect for this old man. I help you find everything to be a successful fisherman out of my own volition. I even let you start working for me when no one else even considered you a viable employee.” Pixis’ mustache drooped as he sighed. “What an ungrateful child.”

“Don’t give me more shit old man. No one thought you were a good employer either. Rumors are still going around that you are using my salary to support your alcohol addiction.”

Pixis scowled. “I would never do such a thing. That is completely absurd, such a baseless lie. Do you believe that Kirschstein?”

Jean shrugged. “Do you think I would still be here if I did?”

Marco flinched when he saw Pixis immediately tear up. “My boy, you still care..”

“I never said I stopped.”

With that final blow, Pixis practically pounced on Jean. “I take it all back. You are a perfect child. Marco is lucky to have a friend like you.”

Jean squirmed and tried to avoid Pixis’ tears from above. “Alright, you old fart! Marco gets it, right Marco?” The boy looked at the siren with pleading eyes.

Marco put a finger under his chin. “Hmm, I’m not sure.” He suppressed an oncoming smile when he saw Jean’s infamous scowl. “Maybe if Jean brings in all the fish, then I could see how good he actually is.”

“By myself?!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Marco glanced over at Pixis, “He’s complaining already. What an ungrateful child.”

Pixis huffed. “So you were planning to pile on more work on Marco, huh?”

“But-”

“Don’t start Kirschstein. This is only this boy’s first fishing trip is it not?” Pixis’ rough hand slapped Marco harshly on his back. “He must be exhausted. Plus you are used to doing this sort of work by yourself. Go on, I will keep Marco company until you return.”

“Are you kidding-”

Pixis straightened up. “You are dismissed my boy.” His voice somehow gained more authority to it. Jean winced slightly.

“Yes sir.” Jean walked out, showing no signs of his previous attitude.

“How did you do that?” Marco had never seen Jean become docile that quickly. Pixis’ little trick worked better than Marco’s siren abilities.

“Nothing like 40 years in the Navy to straighten up a young lad like him.” Pixis chuckled. “You’re not too bad yourself Marco.”

“Me?”

“Yes you! You used my desire of seeing Jean as a perfect child to make that dumbass do all of the work.”

Marco squeaked. “I don’t think Jean is dumb.”

“Of course you don’t, but he is. That shithead tends to overlook important details that are right in front of his fucking face.”

“I can agree with you on that one.” Marco laughed weakly.

For a moment, Marco saw pity in Pixis’ eyes. Then his stare reverted back to a serious glare. “So Marco, do you curse?”

“Curse, sir?”

“Yeah, you know like fuck, shit, bitch, motherfucker.”

Marco shook his head.

“Oh you poor child.”

The rest of Marco’s time with Pixis mainly focused on persuading Marco to start using swear words. The old man explained how the words could be used in most situations. They could be said during times of anger, happiness, sadness, accomplishment, failure, even joy. Pixis believed them to be a necessary part of one’s vocabulary. After a couple of minutes of sharing the importance of cursing, Pixis was dead set on getting Marco to say at least one word.

Marco politely declined, but the old man wouldn’t give up. Pixis decided to up his game by poking Marco. The freckled boy was bombarded by random pokes that rapidly turned into a tickle attack. Marco was grateful when he saw someone else enter the store. Hopefully this would get Mr. Pixis to stop.

“Ah Pixis! You’re still here! Who’s this young lad?”

He’s is Kirschstein’s boy.” Marco froze at that statement.

“Are you shitting me?” Did all of the old folk here curse? “Let me go get the gang.” The man sprinted outside.

“Gang? Mr. Pixis, what is he talking about?”

“Oh you’ll see.” Without any further warning, a swarm of fishermen stormed in the store. Their eyes shone once they set their sights on the freckled boy. Marco gasped when he was squished by countless sweaty bodies.

“So he’s the boy?”

“Who knew Jean had this kind of luck.”

“Luck? I bet you this boy took pity on that poor asshole.”

A random hand from the crowd squeezed Marco’s arm. “Ah~ The boy has got quite the arms. Perfect for the fishing business.”

“Really? Let me see here.” Marco felt another hand grope his other arm. “Oh ho! Kirschstein sure knows how to find them.”

“You guys are over exaggerating.”

“We ain’t fucking lying. Go ahead and feel.”

“Fine.”

“Hey I want a turn!”

“Me too!”

“Move over!”

“Me first!”

“Wait your turn!”

Pixis stayed behind the crowd ambushing Marco. He knew something like this would happen; everyone heard the rumor of Jean bringing a boy home and they were dead set on meeting him. Pixis didn’t dare get in the way of his friends’ investigation. It was better to let them waste their limited energy on their short outbursts. Pixis hiccuped as he chuckled at Marco’s misfortune.

Jean had finally got the last of the fish in the last bin he got from the back of the Garrison. Since his catch was so huge, Jean had to run back and forth to collect a total of four bins. _This could have gone much faster if Marco wasn’t such a little prick today_ , Jean thought. The siren was probably lounging around with Pixis, that pruny drunkard. Maybe the old man had already offered some of his alcohol to Marco, hoping that he would actually get wasted with him. _Can sirens drink anyways?_ Jean remembered someone telling him that having too much beer could get you extremely dehydrated. With that lingering thought on his mind, Jean pushed the final filled bin back to the Garrison. His focus was lost, however, when he heard the commotion coming from the murky shop. Don’t tell me…

No one heard Jean open the doors even though they were creaky. Jean groaned as he saw all the familiar faces surrounding the counter. Everyone just had to come didn’t they? He wondered how Pixis was going to deal with all of these demanding customers.

“Took you long enough Kirschstein!” Jean had to wiggle his way through a couple of people to see Pixis yelling from the other side of the building. Wasn’t he supposed to be up front? “Looks like Marco got caught in the shitstorm.”

Jean looked back to the bustling fishermen. A figure was gradually forced to climb on top of the counter. His feeble protests were nothing compared to the crowd’s increasing enthusiasm. Marco looked past his pursuers, hoping to find a small path to escape. The whole scene was similar to old cartoons and Jean could have easily laughed at the situation. But, his whole demeanor changed when he saw Marco’s glossy eyes, his expression slightly contorted with what looked like pain.

“What do you old geezers think you’re doing with him?” All eyes turned towards Jean.

“Look at who finally decided to show his ugly mug.”

“Nice way to greet your elders shithead.”

“This fucker doesn’t even bother to say a simple ‘Hello’.”

“Shut the hell up,” Jean retorted. “You guys don’t bother with proper etiquette either.”

“At least we introduce new guests to each other.”

“Exactly Jean. You never introduced us to this nice boy here.”

“His name is Marco.”

“Marco, huh?” The man went back to looking at the quivering mass of freckles above him. “Now that I know your name Marco,how’s about you join my crew? Could really use a fella like you on my team.”

“No no, join me instead! My boat’s way better than his!”

“Well my boat can outlive both of yours. It is sturdy and way more equipped than most of the boats here.”

“Not my boat! It can withstand way more than your pathetic boat can!”

The stubborn men started grabbing at Marco, who had growing trickles of tears against his cheeks. Jean had no choice but to barge through his irritating neighbors and get the overwhelmed siren somewhere safe. He brushed his way through countless burly bodies before getting under Marco. Jean stretched out his arms. “Jump Freckles!” Marco was more than willing to obey and leapt onto Jean’s chest. “Oof!” Jean steadied himself before putting Marco down. He grabbed the other’s arm and dashed to the exit. “Sorry fuckers, he’s already working for me.”

“Well shit. Looks like Jean already found his catch of the day.”

“A complete hook, line, and sinker.”

“Guess we can’t compare to Jean’s bait, huh?”

“Their ship had already sailed.”

“You guys are so fucking gay!” Jean yelled before he and Marco left the Garrison.

Once the two boys were halfway across the port before Jean let go of Marco’s trembling arm. “Those prunes know how to get carried away.” Jean took a second to see that Marco was rubbing his eyes with both of his arms. “H-hey Marco, you alright? I know you said that you would help me with my ‘people’ problem, but if it’s too much for you-”

Marco’s sudden spurt of laughter stopped Jean in his tracks. “Jean! Why didn’t you tell me those guys were so hilarious?”

“Hilar- Dude, they were full on harassing you!”

Marco had trouble answering between his snorts and giggles. “B-but did you hear their… heh, their conversation about how cool their boats were?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“C-change the word ‘boat’ to ‘penis’.” Marco clutched his stomach and hunched over.

“What-” Jean went back to the conversation in his memory and nearly flushed down to his neck. “Did they… Did you… That was an innuendo about their dicks?!”

Marco laughed louder.

“You guys are all fucked up, you know that?”

“I know, it’s great.”

“I should have known you would enjoy their half assed humor. And to think I thought you were in pain earlier.”

Marco calmed down before speaking again. “Why would I be in pain?”

“It looked like you were crying earlier.”

“Huh? Oh that! Turns out I’m really ticklish around my arms and waist. I didn’t want to find out so I tried to hide reaction and get away.”

Jean sighed. “So I saved you from a tickle war?”

“Why yes you did, princess. Your prince is very grateful.”

“Oh not this shit again.”

“Whatever do you mean, m’lady?”

Jean groaned.

“It seems that I have upset her Majesty.” Marco bowed. “Whatever shall this lowly royal do to please my fair lady again?”

“How about shutting the fuck up until we get back to the boat?”

Marco gave a silent thumbs up and winked. Jean rolled his eyes before leading the way once again.

Since they were in less of a rush of returning, Marco took the opportunity to truly take in his surroundings. He noticed all the faint outlines of each building, barely made visible by the port’s dim gas lamps. He looked down at the wooden walkway, obviously worn out by all the bustling activity this port had. The sky was a bit foggy, but the stars were still scattered across the gray clouds. Marco finally looked at Jean, well his back anyways. He didn’t understand why Jean couldn’t see how many friends he actually had. Then again, he couldn’t relate to Jean’s past either. He promised to help Jean; Marco made sure to make a mental note to try harder tomorrow. He had to repay the guy who made him remember what it meant to make “time fly”.

They approached the area the boat was at after walking for what seemed like hours. Jean felt mentally exhausted and was more than ready to go lay in his hammock. With dream land only a few feet away, Jean froze when he saw a figure leaning on a pole near the boat. His reactions was abrupt that Marco bumped into his back.

“Jean what’s wrong?”

The figure walked towards them, slowly revealing his identity in the artificial light. He looked at Jean and Marco before grinning. “Hey there, horseface.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I know this chapter wasn't that long and I really wish it was, but my mind was focused so much on the next chapter, because you know that's where things get super interesting uhuhuhuhu~ Sadly I have to inform you that it might be another month before I update again BUT! I will always keep my notebook close bu! Feel free to slap me if you deem it necessary and hope to see you guys as soon as possible this time! BAI  
> WAIT BEFORE I GO  
> Should I even tag this fic on tumblr? Not sure if my fic would even gain that much popularity.... If you think I should, let me know! NOW BAI


	8. The Third Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The answer should have been simple. The selfish choice seemed to be the best decision. Yet, despite Jean’s own assurance, why did he still have trouble choosing between the completely opposite options. Jean sighed; he had to tell Eren his answer eventually. _I hope I don’t regret this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY. THIS CHAPTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUT WAY EARLIER THAN THIS. FORGIVE ME. 
> 
> I really have no excuse, but a lot of things have been affecting me these past few months. I was struggling with unexpected mood swings, crazy stress, and just overall depression at some points. But, I am doing my best to recover from this setback, starting with an extra long chapter as an early Christmas present to all my lovely readers. So without further ado, enjoy some dorky boys, courtesy of an author who is gonna try their best not to have another hiatus like this again. Once again, I have no beta, so feel free to point out any mistakes I missed!

“Eren, what the fuck are you doing here?” Marco watched as Jean closed in on the boy in front of him. His blue-green eyes glinted with mischief as he put his hands on his hips.

“So this is the kind of greeting I get when I come to visit my older brother.” Older brother? Marco looked at Jean and Eren, getting incredibly confused when he saw that they didn’t resemble each other at all. Compared Jean’s pale skin, Eren could have been considered a tan, possibly even bronzed boy. Their eyes were different colors, located on their unique facial structures. Marco could have made a whole list of their distinctive features, but smiled when he noticed that they had one similar trait; he could never mistake that trademark smirk for anything else.

“Of course it is! You’re not supposed to be out this late, shitface!”

Eren shrugged. “Relax, I’m almost eighteen anyways.”

Jean ran his hand through his hair. “How do you expect me to relax when you pull crazy stunts like this half the damn time? Just think of what mom and dad are doing knowing you’re here with me.”

“Pft, you think I told them about my little trip over here?” Eren slapped Jean’s shoulder. “You’re funny bro.”

Jean’s jaw dropped. “You snuck out? Didn’t you just get punished for doing that last week?”

“Yeah . . . And?”

“Ever heard of learning from your mistakes, shit for brains?”

Eren shook his head. “You don’t understand dear brother. Before and now are two, totally different stories.”

“Really?” Jean clenched his teeth. “Care to explain, Mr. Know-It-All?”

“Last week’s reason for me to sneak out was purely recreational.”

“Meaning you went to go get fucking wasted.”

“Hey! You know how hard it is to say no when Armin is the one hosting the party.”

Jean paused. He decided to not Eren have his moment of being right and moved the conversation along. “So what’s the reason for coming here then?”

“This was for family business. You seemed so hooked on that ‘Marco’ kid the last time we talked.” Eren noticed Jean glancing back at the freckled boy, who was clearly having trouble keeping up with everything. “I wanted to see how you were holding up. I’m surprised that you’re doing so well honestly.” Eren walked towards Marco, taking in the petrified boy’s physique. “You’re doing _very_ well,” he whispered. He smiled at Marco before stretching out his hand. “Hi. You must be the ‘Marco’ I heard about from Jean. I don’t know if my brother even bothered to mention me, but I’m Eren.”

Marco returned the gesture. “Yeah, I’m Marco. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eren.”

“Pleasure’s all mine.” Jean groaned behind them. “So Marco, what made you want to hang out with this asswad?”

“Why does everyone keep asking that?”

“Geez Jean, I’m just asking Marco a simple question. Let him answer.” The two brothers stayed quiet, unconsciously anxious about Marco’s response.

“Well, Jean is very kind and considerate. He didn’t mind talking to someone like me -”

“Someone like you?” Eren frowned. “It doesn’t seem like you’re a bad guy, Marco. Don’t put yourself down like that!”

“Sorry, that’s kind of a bad habit of mine. Jean’s been helping me with that problem too.” Marco smiled sheepishly at Jean.

“Eh, who knew this fucker could be such a saint.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Anyways,” Eren had no qualms about blatantly ignoring his brother. “How long are you planning to stay with Jean?”

Marco bit his lip. “I’m not sure actually.”

“Will you be here tomorrow?”

Jean glowered at Eren. “Where is this even going Eren -”

“Yes or no, Marco?”

As much as Jean’s face begged him to say no, something about Eren’s behavior intrigued Marco. His uncanny attraction to anything sly overcame his need to behave himself. “Yes.”

“Great!” Eren rubbed his hands together. “We should all go out then. You two definitely need a break from being surrounded by this awful stench of fish, and I need to spend a day off from school outside of my stuffy house. What do you say guys?”

“I don’t know . . . What do you think Jean?” Marco wasn’t sure if Jean was going to be busy the next day. He still wasn’t sure of how much work a fisherman had.

“It’s a little sudden to spring this on us, don’t you think Eren?” Jean had no plans the next day, but he was sure as hell that he didn’t want to hang out with Eren. He hoped he could slip out of this with a couple of persuasive words.

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Since when have you cared about plans?”

“Ever since a guest was involved.” Jean used his hands to gesture at Marco.

“I’m sure Marco wouldn’t going.Just think of all the fun we could have, all the danger we could accidentally get ourselves in.”

Eren really knew how to push Marco’s buttons. He gulped, lost in the craving of doing something mischievous. “Sounds . . . fun.”

“See? Marco isn’t a stick in the mud! He can handle our antics, right buddy?”

Marco’s lips curved upwards. “Of course I -”

“Can’t. He can’t.”

“What’s wrong Jean? Planning to keep your boyfriend all to yourself?”

“B-boyfriend?!” Jean’s eyes flew open. “Marco isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Then why are you trying to make Marco stay here?”

_I don’t want him to catch your stupidity_ , Jean thought. He also noticed Marco’s changing demeanor; fierce eyes and a malicious smirk were probably a sign to not let Marco near anything dangerous. “Marco can just go a little too far with his jokes sometimes.”

Marco pouted, “Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Do not! I just tease you.”

“Wow, Jean. Can’t handle a bit of flirting now? You’ve been out of the dating world for too long.”

“Shut up!”

“It’s settled then. Since Marco seems totally okay with our outing tomorrow -”

“No he isn’t -”

“Yes I am.”

“Then be ready to rise and shine early. I’m going to pick you up and I’m even willing to pay for all the expenses, including gas money. Sound good?”

“Yes!” Marco chirped.

Jean had no choice but to resign to Eren’s confidence and Marco’s enthusiasm. “Fine fucker, you win.”

“Great. Let’s do it -”

“Oh shit -”

“To it!” Marco yelled.

Eren looked over at his older brother. “Did he just do what I think he did?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Did you tell him how old that phrase is?”

“Yes I did, but does it look like this cheeky motherfucker listens to me?”

Marco giggled.

“Well, would you look at that? I can definitely see who wears the pants in this relationship now.”

“What -”

“It’s time for me to leave you two lovebirds alone.” Eren stretched, adding a long yawn for an extra effect. “I’m tired as hell and it’s practically tomorrow morning now. Guess I’ll see you in a couple of hours then. Later, horseface.” He smiled when he turned to Marco. “Bye, Freckles.”

Jean and Marco were silent as Eren walked away, both somewhat trying to understand what just happened. Marco got his act together faster and started to bounce on his heels. He didn’t have to look at Jean to tell that he was annoyed with the situation.

“Let’s get on the boat, Marco.”

“Sure thing.”

Both boys instinctively went to the fish tank. Marco sighed in relief as he dipped his feet in the fresh saltwater. A comforting wind brushed against his arms as he stared at his dark reflection. The freckled boy wrinkled his nose when he heard Jean cough awkwardly; he sure had a terrible way of trying to break the silence.

“Your brother seems nice.”

“Eren?” Jean scoffed. “You think that piece of shit is nice?”

“Yeah. He didn’t do anything mean so -”

“Not yet. Just wait until tomorrow. That asswipe will annoy the hell out of us.”

“You mean he will annoy you.” Marco chuckled. “It must be nice to have such a strong sibling relationship.”

A light blush appeared on Jean’s cheeks. “Tch. Eren and I fucking hate each other, alright?”

“Whatever you say . . . horseface.”

“Oh shit. Don’t tell me you’re going to start using that stupid ass nickname too.”

“Only if you don’t mind me being your cowboy.”

Jean flushed. “What the -  How can you manage to say things like that so easily? Wait, don’t answer that. Just shut the fuck up.”

“As you wish, princess.”

Jean groaned. “You might be worse than Eren is.”

“I think you mean better.” Marco smirked.

“No, I meant worse. Maybe you’re his real brother.”

“Real brother?”

“Yeah, Eren and I aren’t related by blood. We’re step-brothers.”

“Oh.” Marco blinked. “That makes sense.”

“How so?”

“You guys look so different.”

“We both look like our moms. But in a series of events that I’m too lazy to explain in the fucking early hours of the day, my ma ended up with Eren’s old man.”

“I see. You two seem to give off the same vibe though.” Marco shrugged. “Eren acts a lot like you sometimes.”

“Well, when you’re stuck with a new brother for twelve years, some things are bound to rub off on that fucker.”

“Sounds to me like your little brother looks up to you.”

“Oh, please. If he had one ounce of respect for me, he would have already learned a thing called giving someone their fucking personal space.”

“Awww,” Marco cooed. “He’s the clingy type.”

“That isn’t something you should find cute, Marco.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a lot to deal with, that’s why.” Jean’s shoulders slumped.

“Don’t say that. Maybe this is just his way of showing he cares about you.”

Jean glared at Marco. “You don’t know anything.” As the harsh statement left his mouth, he flinched. _Way to move things along, stupid_.

“You’re right,” the freckled boy’s eyes softened. “I don’t know anything. But, I wouldn’t mind finding out.” Jean felt small ripples on his calves as Marco splashed his feet atop the water. “So, if you don’t mind of course, would it be okay for me to see how you two spend a day with each other?”

In most circumstances, Jean wouldn’t hesitate to decline immediately. However, things were different with Marco. When he found out about his opportunity to return to land, Marco nearly exploded with excitement. His whole body quivered as his smile kept getting bigger. Was Jean really going to let his selfish desires to deny Marco a chance to explore to his heart’s content? He knew fully well that the freckled ball of energy would be much happier in a new change of pace.

“Fine. We can go.”

“Yay!” Marco turned to Jean and gave the boy a peck on the cheek. “I knew you wouldn’t say no!”

Jean rubbed his face. “Yeah, whatever.” No matter how long his hand was over his warm cheek, he couldn’t get rid of the sensation of Marco’s lips out of his mind. It was just a kiss of gratitude; why did Jean feel like an obvious mark was seared on his face? “A hug would have been enough thanks, asshole.”

“I know, but you know . . .,” Jean froze when a hot breath brushed alongside his ear. “I think my princess deserves a little something special from the one who is courting her.

“C-c-courting?”

“What else would a prince do when faced with such a lovely maiden?”

“I’m not a maiden.” Jean clumsily stood up. “A-and you better stop this crap.”

“And what if I decline your offer?”

“It wasn’t an offer. I’m telling you to stop. Right. Now.”

Marco began to fan himself. “My, my, such a demanding princess. I love seeing such authority in a lady. Makes me wonder how you are in -”

“You know what? I’m done. I don’t need to hear your nasty thoughts, pervert.” Jean made his way towards the cabin door. “I’m going to sleep before this gets any worse.”

“Plus we need to be ready for when Eren comes back.”

“That’s the last thing I’m fucking thinking about right now.”

“Really? You wouldn’t be thinking about me first, would you?”

“Ha, yeah right. Not gonna fall for any more of your tricks tonight.” Jean yawned. “I’m tired. Good night, Marco.”

“Night, Jean. Don’t forget I’ll be here if you need another cuddle session."

Jean mumbled as he closed the door. He had no idea what kind of crap he was going to deal with later on. He crossed his fingers; maybe Eren would be less of an ass tomorrow.

Marco looked around the empty deck. The boat was surrounded on all sides. He probably couldn’t take a dip in the water without making some kind of disturbance. _This is probably the biggest setback of being here,_ Marco thought. _At least those disgusting fish are gone_. He scooted closer to the tank, letting the fresh saltwater past his knees. He didn’t feel tired; what could he do to pass the time? There was his singing option, but siren songs in a crowded area wouldn’t be the best idea. _Maybe Jean has a radio . . ._

Marco entered the cabin. He knew there wasn’t one in the kitchen, so he didn’t bother to look in there. He was certain that the other room full of contraptions didn’t have a radio either, so his next best bet was the other rooms in the hallway. However, even being thorough in his search didn’t give Marco what he was looking for. It was time to ask a certain sleepyhead for help.

_Jean . . ._ A pair of hands grasped his shoulders. They didn’t stay there for too long as they traveled down the lengths of Jean’s back. _Look at me . . ._ The warm body closed the distance it had between him. The sudden contact made Jean shiver. _I need you . . ._ Jean’s breath hitched; this wasn’t happening. A tongue licked alongside his nape. Jean’s body was paralyzed. He could only feel as his hand was being lead down a rough chest, firm abs, and finally . . . his arousal. _I need you to help me, princess._

“Jean . . .” Marco shook the unconscious boy’s shoulder. Was Jean a heavy sleeper?

“Mmm, Marco?” _Now that’s odd_ , Marco thought, _his voice sounds hoarse. It’s almost as if he’s. . ._

“Are you awake, Jean?”

“Huh? Oh fuck!” Jean opened his eyes to see Marco staring curiously at him. _What is he doing here?_ “Marco, what do you want?”

“Well, I really can’t fall asleep and I’m super restricted here since I can’t swim around -”

“Get to the point.”

Marco chuckled nervously. “I was going to ask if you had a radio I could borrow.”

“Radio?”

“Uh-huh. I think this might be a good opportunity to get familiar with current music and all that.”

Jean grumbled. “I don’t have a radio, but I do have an iPod.”

“iPod? What’s that?”

_How long has it been since he’s been on land again?_ “A device that holds the songs you put into it.”

Marco’s eyes twinkled. “That sounds amazing. Do you mind if I use it tonight?”

“Not really, though I have to warn you that most of the music on there isn’t that current.”

“That’s fine.”

“Alright, wait here and I’ll go get it for -” Jean paused. As he was shifting himself to get off the hammock, he felt an uncomfortable bulge on the lower part of his body. _Fuck me._ “On second thought, I think you can go get it.”

“Is something the matter?”

“No. I’m just in a really comfortable position right now.”

“Oh, alright. Where’s the . . . iPod then?”

“In the room I caught you snooping in.”

“The room full of junk?”

Jean twitched, but immediately regretted doing so when his inner thighs rubbed him the wrong way. “It’s. . . not junk. I use that stuff to work out.”

“Looks like junk to me.”

“Do you want the iPod or not?”

“Yes please.”

“It should be in the far corner of the room. The headphones should already be plugged in, so you’ll be okay.”

“Headphones?”

“Are you kidding . . .,” Jean sighed. “It’s the wire that will have two small pieces at the end of it. You stick them in your ear to listen to the music.”

“Wow, I have missed out on a lot, haven’t I?”

“You have no idea.”

“You think I can figure out how it works by myself?”

You have no other choice, Marco. “Sure you can. It is pretty simple once you get the hang of it.”

“If you say so. Well, I’m going to let you sleep now. “Thank you Jean.”

“Whatever.”

“Good night, princess.”

_I need you to help me, princess._ “G’night,” Jean mumbled. He cursed himself when he felt his erection react to the word ‘princess’. “You better leave me alone for the rest of the night.”

“Whatever you say.”

Marco closed the door slowly he wouldn’t disturb Jean any more than he already did. He also felt terrible about assuming that the other boy woke up from an erotic dream. He could have sworn that he had smelled Jean’s hormones acting up, but he was indifferent towards Marco for most of the conversation. _I’m getting ahead of myself._

The siren made his way to the room with all the devices that supposedly helped Jean stay fit. Marco would have to ask how these things worked if he ever came in here with Jean. For now, he just wanted to listen to music. He avoided touching anything and found the device sitting on the floor. As Jean predicted, the ‘headphones’ were already connected to the rather small piece of metal. Marco carefully picked it up, surprised to find that it was extremely light and as thinner than a pack of matches.

“Is this actually going to work?”

Once his legs were back in the tank, Marco put the headphones in his ears. There seemed to be a couple of buttons on the iPod, but the main button seemed like the safest bet to get it to work. Marco gasped when the screen flashed on, showing him a long list of songs. Since he was unsure of how any of them would sound like, Marco decided to choose the first song that appeared. He almost jumped when he heard how intense it was.

_Cut my life into pieces_

_This is my last resort_

_Suffocation, no breathing_

_Don’t give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding_

_This is my last resort_

Marco frowned. He wasn’t sure how to react to this. However, he kept listening, seeing if this could help him understand Jean better.

_‘Cause I’m losing my sight, losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine_

_Losing my sight, losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I’m fine_

From what Marco heard, it seemed as though the song was made for those who were frustrated, those who just wanted reassurance. Before he could think more about it, the next song started to play.

_Hold it together, birds of a feather,_

_Nothing but lies and crooked wings._

_I have the answer, spreading the cancer,_

_You are the faith inside me_

This song made Marco’s heart hurt; it reminded him of past memories.

_I’m a believer,_

_Nothing could be worse,_

_All these imaginary friends._

_Hiding betrayal,_

_Driving the nail,_

_Hoping to find a savior._

Even though Marco knew that he and Jean both had horrible experiences plague their past, he couldn’t believe that they had shared similar moods, similar feelings. Another song began to play, this time with a calmer melody.

_I break down, fear is sinking in_

_The cold comes, racing through my skin_

_Searching for a way to get to you_

_Through the storm you. . . ._

Marco smiled gently. The lyrics were somber, yet ironic, making the siren remember of how he met the grumpy fisherman.

_You go, giving up your home_

_Go, you are not unknown_

_You are not alone_

_You are not unknown_

_You are not alone_

The last few notes faded out as Marco sighed. He was beginning to wonder if this was all Jean had before they met each other. Another mellow song followed but Marco focused on every single word.

_When you try your best, but you don’t succeed_

_When you get what you want, but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

Marco felt tears running down his cheek. None of the songs he was taught as a child made him feel this emotional.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Despite having thoughts of sad events, Marco didn’t regret asking Jean for the iPod. He kept listening, eager to hear different sounds and rhythms. He closed his eyes, forgetting his goal of trying to get some rest.

“. . . Marco? Marco, can you hear me?” The freckled boy jolted when someone tapped his shoulder. He looked behind him to see a pair of bright eyes and a wide smile.

“Huh? Oh, hi Eren.” Marco stretched. “Is it morning already?”

“Already?” Eren chuckled. “Dude, how long have you been out here?”

_It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to tell him I was out here all night_ , Marco thought. “Just before the sun came out I think. I was really restless earlier, so I borrowed this music player and lost track of time.”

“You’re that excited about leaving this stinky shithole, huh?”

“Something like that.” Marco pouted. “You really are Jean’s little brother.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that assface into this conversation?”

“Both of you have uncontrollable potty mouths that’s why. I guess I wouldn’t expect anything less if Jean was your example for speaking habits.”

Eren scowled. “Are you saying that I’m trying to copy that horseface? I am my own fucking person you know.”

“I know. I just happened to notice that you and Jean have very similar habits. To be honest, it’s actually really cute.”

“Cute?”

Marco nodded.

“But I’m manly as hell.”

“Oh really?”

“Fuck yeah I am. You’re the one who’s -” The cabin door opened to reveal a rather irritated Jean. “Look who finally decided to join the party.”

“Shut the fuck up, Eren.”

“Morning, Jean.” Marco waved shyly."Hey, Marco."

“So horseface, you ready to go yet?”

Jean gestured at his sleepwear. “What do you think, shithead?”

“Fine, we’ll wait for you. Marco and I will continue our conversation out here while you get all gussied up.”

“Not happening.”

“Why in the hell would you say that?”

“Marco needs to come inside and eat breakfast. You didn’t eat anything before you came out here, did you?”

Marco shook his head.

“Come on then.” Marco shook his legs to get rid of the excess water running down his calves. He then walked over to Jean, who was keeping the door open for him.”

“Wait! I want to come too!”

“Why?” Jean squinted.

“Shit, if you’re offering free food, I wouldn’t mind accepting your sudden kindness.”

“Since when did I offer you some fucking food?”

“Ever since you mentioned breakfast.” Eren smiled. “I hope you don’t mind sharing some food with me, Marco.”

“Not at all. It would be nice if you kept me some company.”

“Great!” Eren walked behind Marco.” So what’s on today’s menu, asshole?”

“. . . Beans.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? That’ the only thing you make for me when I come over.”

“If you’re going to complain, then get the fuck out. I’m not made out of fucking money, so you should be grateful that you’re getting at least something edible, fuckhead.”

“Whatever.”

After dealing with a hectic breakfast, Marco was more than happy to start walking to Eren’s car. Eren had pointed them to the general direction of where he parked as they left Jean’s boat. It would have been a quiet trip, but the two stubborn boys had somehow made it their mission to argue about everything. _Here we go again._

“Why in the fuck did you park so damn far?”

“It’s not my fault that this shitty port has a small ass parking lot. There is barely enough room for the fuckers who work here.”

Marco was in between Jean and Eren as they glared at each other. The siren rolled his eyes.

“I call bullshit. You came here early, didn’t you? There had to be at least one spot open.”

“Trust me, everything was packed. I made sure to check the whole fucking lot. Twice.”

Marco sighed. There was really no way to interrupt their argument.

“Do you honestly think I will believe that crap? You never check anything. I bet you don’t even check when you wipe your own ass.”

Eren growled. “I keep forgetting how much of a drama queen you are. We aren’t even going that far. I’m sure Marco doesn’t mind. Right Freckles?”

Marco gulped. _I can’t make this any worse . . . can I?_ “Not at all. It feels nice to be able stretch my legs a bit.”

Jean scowled.

Eren lit up with a victorious smirk.

“I knew Marco wasn’t a lazy ass like you! Since he isn’t being cranky, unlike someone here,” Eren coughed, muttering a quick “Jean” before continuing. “He gets to ride shotgun.”

“Shotgun?” Marco tilted his head.

“That’s right buddy,” The brunet slung his arm over Marco’s shoulder. “We get to ride in the front, while my poor brother gets to simmer all alone in the back.”

“Who says I’m going to agree with that shit?” Jean snarled.

“Ah, that’s the beautiful part Jean,” Eren chuckled as he got closer to Marco. “You don’t need to agree with this decision. You wanna know why?” He reached in his pocket to take out his keys. “It’s my car, so we go by my rules. Can’t disagree with that, huh Jean boy?”

“God dammit Eren. I told you not to call me that anymore."

“I can do whatever I want. I can even leave your ass here.” Eren undid his embrace with Marco to grab his wrist. “Ready to run, Freckles?”

Marco glanced between Eren’s anxious expression and Jean’s pleading look. He was pretty sure causing just a tiny bit of chaos wouldn’t hurt. “More than ready.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear. Smell ya later, horseshit.” The brunet broke into a sprint, holding onto Marco even though the freckled boy easily kept up with him.

Jean groaned, but had no choice but to chase after them. _Like hell am I going to let Eren take Marco . . . or leave me behind_. “Get back here fuckers!”

With all their frantic yelling and laughing, the boys managed to wake up half of the fisherman on the port. By the time they made it to Eren’s sedan, Marco had heard more curse phrases than he ever thought he would in a human lifetime. He knew he should have been disgusted, but he felt jittery as he was trying to control the butterflies in his stomach. _Who knew it would be this easy to annoy people._

“Ha! Thought you guys could outrun me?” Jean thumped his fist on his chest. “Fat fucking chance.” He began coughing when he tried to take a deep breath.

“Ah, that was pure luck. On the bright side, at least Marco and I aren’t wheezing like an old geezer. Finally ready to admit that you’re a senior citizen, Jean?” Eren smirked.

“As if. Let’s get this day over with, shall we?” Jean opened the back door. He was about to enter the car, but he noticed Marco was struggling with his own door. _Maybe he hasn’t been in a car before._ Jean opened the siren’s door as well, motioning his head to let Marco know to go inside.

“Thanks, Jean.”

“No problem.”

“Aw, well would you look at that. Someone decided to play the chivalry card today. Guess I’m the designated chaperone for you too.” Eren got in the driver’s seat and put on his seatbelt. Marco followed suit, looking a bit concerned as he pushed the buckle into the lock. “Is Jean your Prince Charming now or something, Marco?”

“Actually I consider him to be my grumpy princess most of the time.”

Eren smiled mischievously. “Do you now?”

Jean blushed furiously. “Marco! Stop giving this bastard weird ideas!”

Marco shrugged. “I’m not lying though.”

“ _Marco!_ ”

“Alright guys, enough chit chat. Let’s go to our first destination. We wouldn’t want to keep the lovely princess waiting, now would we?”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Eren.”

Jean ran his hand down his face. “You motherfuckers are going to be the death of me. Where are we going anyways?”

Eren beamed. “Rock climbing.”

After surviving Eren’s crazy driving, Marco practically leapt out of his seat when the brunet parked. He panicked when he felt that he couldn’t get up, but almost died of shame when he realized he hadn’t taken off his seatbelt. He sighed in relief as he stepped back out into the fresh air.

“Are you okay, Marco?” Jean furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah I’m fine. We just don’t have a lot of cars where I come from.

Eren’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Was your place isolated from the rest of society?”

Marco laughed nervously. “You could say that.”

“I assume you don’t even know how to drive then?”

“Nope.”

“Damn.” Eren ruffled Marco’s hair. “If you stick around, I’ll be willing to teach you sometime.”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

“Great! Want me to tell you the best way to get the hang of driving?”

“What is it?”

“You leave my brother at home. The asshole makes it his solemn duty to give you anxiety before you even turn on the car.”

“That’s not true!” Jean huffed.

“Oh yeah?” Eren crossed his arms. “Then go ahead and explain the first time I drove on the freeway.”

“Dude, you kept drifting to the right, I fucking swear.”

“Doesn’t mean you had to yell in my ear every five seconds.” Eren turned back to Marco. “Trust me, if you want a good driving teacher, you have to call either me or Mikasa.”

“Who’s Mikasa?”

“Jean didn’t tell you? She was the girl of his dreams before you came along.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Eren!”

They stayed bickering around the car for a few more minutes before Eren led Marco to the indoor rock climbing facility. Both boys were excited once they saw the towering walls around them. They sprinted to what was considered the most difficult wall to climb, while Jean begrudgingly stayed behind them.

One of the employees helped them put on safety gear and gave them helmets. Marco wanted to take all of the the extra weight off his body; he couldn’t help but feel stiff with all the straps restricting his movements. He had made it past worse cliffs, even during stormy weather, but he doubted anyone besides Jean would believe him.

“Feeling nervous yet, Freckles?” Eren elbowed Marco’s ribs.

“Not at all.”

The employee also explained that since this wall might need some tricky maneuvering, it was recommended that only two people attempt it at the same time. Eren and Jean obviously let Marco have the first spot, but weren’t willing to let the other win the second spot. Talking wasn’t going to get them anywhere, so they decided to do what they did best when they had an argument they couldn’t agree on: they played rock, paper, scissors.

Marco giggled at all of their faces they made during their bout, wondering if the dorks considered this life or death. In the end, Jean barely came out victorious.

“Damn!”

“Better luck next time, nerd.” Jean smirked. “You ready for your ass whooping, Marco?”

“You bet I am.”

“Are you being sarcastic you jerk?”

“Not at all. I would never doubt your ability of reaching your peak the fastest.” Marco winked.

“Holy shit, did he just . . .” Eren struggled to control his laughter.

Jean groaned. “Ignore it, you’ll just encourage him.”

The race between Jean and Marco was rather slow at first, but gradually got more intense once they got accustomed to the plastic rocks that they were grabbing and stepping on. Jean would have been more focused, but he noticed that Eren was being awfully quiet. Normally he would be jumping and screaming at the sight of Jean losing a battle.

“Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“You alright down there? Don’t tell me you’re being baffled by my amazing skills.”

“Nah, I have something else occupying my attention at the moment.”

_Something else?_ Jean looked to see Eren right below Marco. Considering the angle of his neck and the animalistic look on his face, the brunet was staring at Marco’s ass.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, fuckface?”

“Just enjoying the view.”

Jean was ready to leap down and beat the shit out of his little brother, even the quiet employee, since both of them were preying on Marco as if he was part of their next meal. _I should have expected his siren charm to come into effect sooner or later, but . . ._

A shrill bell interrupted Jean’s thoughts. Marco had made it to the top, heaving himself up to sit beside the finish button. He swung his legs over the edge, smirking when he saw how far behind his competitor was.

“Guess that means I win this round.”

Jean scoffed. “You just got lucky, Marco.”

“Maybe he did, but I say I was the luckiest one here.”

“Eren, I will fucking end you!”

“Only if you beat me in our race, Jean boy.”

With all of the boys more fired up than ever, they continued to challenge each other, interchanging immediately after every race. When they finally tired out, it was Marco who became the overall champion, the only one out of the three to remain undefeated. Jean knew he couldn’t catch up to him no matter how much he tried. However, he couldn’t tell if Eren was doing his best. With the thought of his brother using the races to get a “closer look” was more than enough to keep him irritable as they ate lunch.

“Why the long face, Jean?” Eren put a finger under his chin. “Oh wait. I know what’s wrong. I bet you’re craving some carrots. maybe even sugarcubes.”

Jean twitched. “I’m fine with my fucking food, Eren.”

“Oh really? Your poor hamburger is telling me otherwise. It’s going to be a pancake before you finish it.”

Jean peered down to see that he did in fact have his mean in a vice grip. “Oh.”

“If something is bothering you Jean, don’t be be afraid to tell us.” Marco insisted.

“I’m not afraid! It’s just not a big deal. alright? I’ll get over it.”

“If you say so.”

“Don’t be concerned, Marco. Jean gets his panties in a twist all the time. This is just another daily occurrence.”

“Hey!”

“By the way Freckles, why in the hell did you order that?” Eren pointed at Marco’s bowl with his fork.

“Is there something wrong with ordering a salad?”

“Fuck yeah there is! There’s no meat in it!”

“I’m not too fond of meat actually.”

Eren frowned. “Are you a vegetarian?”

“I don’t think so -”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Can you be any more fucking rude, Eren?”

“No, it’s fine Jean. I can’t handle huge amounts of meat. This might be weird to hear, but it makes me sick just thinking about it.”

“So you’ll be okay with small chunks?”

“Huh?”

“Well, my chili cheese fries have meat, but the pieces are super tiny. Want to try some?”

“Um . . .” Marco scratched his arm.

“Here,” Eren stabbed a single fry. “You can try a small bit if you want. No need to eat it all.”

“. . . Just one bite then.”

“Sweet.” The brunet held his fork in front of Marco. “Say ah.”

“Ah?” Marco asked confusingly. He gasped when Eren lead part of the fry into his mouth. He took a tentative bite, completely shocked when he tasted how spicy it was.

“How is it?”

Marco stuck his tongue out, “Hot.”

Eren laughed, “Goes straight to the back of the throat, doesn’t it?”

Marco nodded.

“Are you up to take a bigger bite?”

“Bigger bite?” Marco whimpered.

“You heard me. Unless you’re too chicken to do it . . .”

“Bring it on.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear. If you try to kill me later on, just remember that you’re the one who asked for it.”

Eren continued to feed Marco, ignoring the fact the freckled boy had his own fork. Jean watched silently as his brother brought out more expressions out of Marco than he ever did in one day. He bit angrily into his burger. His rage kept on burning as he felt himself merge into the background of this flirty scene. _Maybe it would have been better if I stayed home._

Their next destination ended up being Jean’s favorite go-cart track. If this was Eren’s way of appeasing him, then it worked like a charm. There wasn’t many rules to follow since there was a separate course for children. Jean could finally vent out his frustrations and kick Eren’s ass.

“Get ready to bite the dust.” Jean cracked his knuckles before putting his hands on the steering wheel.

“Very funny, Jean.” Marco giggled.

“Marco, you barely learned where the gas and brake pedals are. I hate to say this, but it’s possible that even Eren might overlap you.”

“Just you wait. I’ll definitely finish first!”

“Oh, I _really_ don’t doubt that.” Eren smirked.

“Fucking sicko.”

“Hey you’re the one who thought it, not me.”

Jean sighed. _I can never win with these two._

“Since the cocky motherfucker finally shut up, we can show him who is the better racer.”

“That sounds like a challenge. Let’s do it -”

“Wait, Jean -”

“Oh fuck -”

“To it!”

Marco took the chance to have a head start while Jean and Eren were grumbling about the overused phrase. He made it past the first turn before a barrage of curses approached him. Jean bumped his cart into the railing, making him lose enough momentum to let both brothers zoom past him. Even though the course was a bit tricky to handle, Marco was able to watch the chaos ensuing in front of him from a safe distance.

Eren was determined to see Jean spin out of control, and Jean was more than happy to let Eren wreck his go-cart. Both of them repeatedly clashed into each other, swerving in  all directions. From afar, it would have seemed that the two were hell-bent on annihilating each other, but Marco could tell they were having fun. The boys had small smiles creeping up on their faces, so close to laughing together. Marco made a mental note that violence was the best way to keep the stubborn knuckleheads on the same page.

It was a couple of more laps before Marco realized that he wasn’t making any effort to be in first place anymore. There was much more satisfaction watching Jean enjoying himself with the brother he insisted he hated, He wished he could have savored the moment longer, but Eren also noticed his sudden reluctance to drive faster. The brunet slowed down enough to cruise alongside Marco, leaving Jean to collide with nothing but air.

“Hey Freckles, getting motion sick?”

Marco shook his head. “No nothing like that. It was just nice.”

“What was nice?”

“Seeing you and Jean enjoying time together.”

“Psh,” Eren waved one of his hands. “You sure do have a screw loose.”

Marco puffed his cheeks, “No I don’t. I can’t believe it’s so hard for both of you to say that you’re practically best friends. Jean isn’t so rigid when he’s with you.”

“He doesn’t act this way with you?”

“Of course not. He still treads carefully around me, constantly worrying that I can’t handle his blunt attitude. Jean would never admit to this, but I think a part of him can’t trust a stranger like me yet.”

“You’re not -”

“Yes I am. If I wasn’t, Jean wouldn’t be so worried about how other people see us. He can be his natural himself when he’s with you. It might be good for the both of you to appreciate your close sibling relationship.”

“You really care about Jean, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Marco blushed. “He has done a lot for me already, so I thought I should return the favor. Is that weird?”

Eren grinned. “Not at all.”

Meanwhile, Jean was becoming curious, wondering what the hell Eren was talking about with Marco. The two had grown oddly close very quickly; did Eren have more in common with Marco than he did? Jean mentally slapped himself. He should have been more attention to the race. _It’s probably none of my business anyways. . ._

It wasn’t much of a surprise when Jean had to wait a while before Eren and Marco got out of their go-carts. He was stunned to see that they had stayed on the track for most of the afternoon. Light was becoming scarce as they got back in Eren’s car.

“Thanks for taking us out, Eren. This trip was awesome.”

“Hold on, Freckles. We still have one more stop on this adventure.”

Marco squeaked. “Really?”

“Would I ever lie to you?”

Jean snorted.

“What the hell, fucker? I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Sorry, I thought that joke was for both of us to hear.”

“Why you -”

Instead of listening to the radio, Marco had the wonderful melodies of angered man-children to occupy him until they go to their last stop.

The pier was on the same beach the port was, but near a more populated area. It’s flourescent lights shone in bright colors. It was filled with small rides and a variety of carnival games; Marco was immediately mesmerized by all the thrilling scenes around him. He bit his lip in anticipation.

“Are we going to see everything here?”

“Sure, if you’re babysitter is okay with it.”

Jean rolled his eyes. “It’s not like my opinion matters. Do what you want Marco.”

“Yay!” Marco hugged Jean for a moment before scurrying off. “Do either of you mind if I go on and scout ahead?”

“Knock yourself out. I need to have a word with with Jean anyways. We’ll meet up with you soon.”

“Okay! Bye guys!”

Marco sped off, unaware of his childish noises of excitement as he went inside the arcade. The sight was terribly adorable and silly; Jean and Eren had no choice but to chuckle about it.

“He’s quite the character, isn’t he?”

“You’re telling me.”

Eren shoved Jean forward. “Want me to sit this one out?”

“Hah?”

“Do I really need to point this out? I’m giving you a chance to get romantic with your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my -”

“I heard you the first time. But you can’t deny your feelings for him.”

Jean remained silent.

“Once again, I am letting you strip off this lil old third wheel if you really want this to become a date.”

“What are you gonna do if I ditch you? Marco and I still need a ride home after this.”

“Eren hunched over. “Haha, you’re concerned about me? I’m old enough to know how to amuse myself while avoiding you two. Maybe you do want me to stay.”

“Uh -”

“This is your final chance, _Jean boy_. Though I have to warn you that I won’t mind trying to get Freckles to notice me too.”

The answer should have been simple. The selfish choice seemed to be the best decision. Yet, despite Jean’s own assurance, why did he still have trouble choosing between the completely opposite options. Jean sighed; he had to tell Eren his answer eventually. _I hope I don’t regret this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: If any of you were curious as to what songs Marco was listening to, then here is the list for you.  
> \- Last Resort by Papa Roach  
> \- Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin  
> \- Not Alone by Linkin Park  
> \- Fix You by Coldplay  
> I would have added the pier scene to this chapter, but I decided against it since I feel like it deserves its own special attention. Anyone wanna guess which choice Jean decides to go with? Feel free to comment below (you know if you still want to talk to a butt like me) or message me on tumblr at my url, gold-sakura. Thanks for reading and hope to see you guys soon!


	9. Free Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The siren turned to the ocean. “That’s the worst part. I didn’t want to, but I did it anyways. I thought I could fight these disgusting instincts . . . I thought I could stay with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shows up a billion years later with a chapter right after I said I was going to update chapters faster* HAHAHAHA GUESS THERE'S A BIG FAT LIAR HERE  
> So  
> The new chapter is finally here  
> after like 10 months.... *sighs*  
> I feel super bad about not updating this sooner, but my battles with college and depression are still raging on. I am making my way towards conquering both but it's gonna take some time.  
> Alright enough with the rant no one wants to hear  
> As usual I have no beta, so feel free to point out any mistakes that you might see! Enjoy!

The bustling noises inside the arcade were more than what Marco had expected  Adults and children alike filled the small space with small chatter, yells of encouragement and groans of frustration. The siren slowly walked around, observing each game with immense curiosity. All the flashing lights and colors were all new to him.

As Marco was looking at what he assumed to be a shooting game, he felt a slight tug on the bottom of his shirt.

“Excuse me mister, are you gonna play that game?”

“Huh?” Marco glanced over to see a young girl staring at him with wide eyes. She must be waiting to play, he thought. “Oh no, go ahead -”

“Then move!” The girl shoved Marco aside and put some coins in the machine. “Only an idiot would stand in front of a game and not play it.” She huffed and proceeded to kill the first wave of zombies that appeared on the screen.

Marco could only stare with his jaw dropped. He wasn’t sure if he should be offended or be fairly impressed by the girl’s attitude.

“The brats in here are pretty ruthless, right?”

“Eren!” Marco gasped when the brunet’s whispered against his ear. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Haha, my bad.” Eren waved his hand.

“Since when did you get here?”

“Long enough to see you get whipped by the tiny monster over there.” The girl made an animalistic growl just as Eren pointed at her.

Marco paled. “I had no idea children could be so intimidating.”

Eren sighed. He patted the other brunet’s shoulder while he shook his head. “You really don’t know anything, do you? Look Freckles. I’ll give you a piece of advice for dealing with kids. If you really want to be on the boogers’ good side, you never, and I mean never, get in the way of them and their electronics. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Marco muttered weakly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

“By the way, where’s Jean?”

“Oh, that dipshit? He sent me in here to get you. Said he didn’t want to deal with the bullshit.”

“Should we go meet up with him, then?”

Eren pouted. “Come on, Marco. You two don’t need to be so clingy . . .” He put a hand over his mouth before smirking. “Here’s an idea. We can ditch that shithead until we have to go home. What do you say, dude?”

Marco frowned; he couldn’t believe that Eren would want to leave Jean alone for the rest of the night. Just as the freckled boy was about to reprimand the brunet, Eren scoffed.

“I’m just playing around Freckles. The ‘death glare’ look doesn’t suit you by the way. Come on, let’s get going.”

“Okay.”

Maneuvering their way past more impatient children, Eren and Marco caught a glimpse of the other boy watching a fortune telling machine. From the way one of his hands was clenched loosely, it seemed that Jean was contemplating on whether he wanted to waste his change on it or not.

“Found you, horseface.” Eren’s sudden call startled his brother, causing countless coins to scatter on the floor.”

“Oh fuck -”

As expected, Marco was at Jean’s side in an instant, kneeling down to help the other clean up the mess.

“Look at what you did, asshole.” Once the two boys managed to gather all of the change, Jean glared at Eren.

“Well, excuse me for forgetting that you are as jumpy as a cat, shitface.”

“You did that on purpose and you know it.”

“Fine, don’t believe me.” Eren shook his head. “I knew we should have left this stiff alone, Freckles - Marco?” The two brothers stared confusingly as the freckled boy approached the machine warily.

The fortune teller within the glass case was in full Romani attire, at least the top part of one anyways. She had green eyes that appeared to be looking beyond one’s own view, a crooked nose, and a set of moles near her right ear. Marco was aware that it was a machine, yet he couldn’t help but be reminded of his old friend, Carmendie. When it came to clairvoyance, she was truly one of the best in the business. Her illustrious laugh echoed in Marco’s head when he thought about Carmendie seeing the contraption in front of him.

“Do these things really tell the future?” Marco wasn’t sure why he asked that. He knew these small pieces of paper that were handed to people couldn’t compare to the real deal.

Eren snorted in response. “Hell no. They are like fortune cookies you get at Chinese restaurants. Except, the cookies are worse since they aren’t even a real Chinese tradition. But I’m sure Jean boy here would disagree with me.”

“Who said I would do that?”

“Anyone who saw you willing to waste . . .,” Eren paused to look at the price for a fortune. “Holy shit. You were about to waste a buck fifty on this piece of crap?”

“No!” Jean retorted. He looked away, crossing his arms to keep his change close to his chest. “Even if I was about to do that, it’s my money, so fuck off.”

 _Fortunes have lost their credibility_ , Marco noted. _Carmendie was right again_.

“Why don’t you just try it out once, Jean?”

“Don’t tell me you believe in this stuff, Freckles.”

“Not as much as I used to.”

“Then why do you want me to try it?”

“Yeah. I mean it’s pretty obvious that his future is right in front of him.” Eren winked.

“Huh?” Jean was confused until Eren motioned his head towards Marco. He was standing right across from the freckled boy. “Shut up, Eren!”

Marco tilted his head with a small pout. “So I’m not in your future, Jean?”

“What? No, I mean yes, but no. It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like then?” The freckled boy scooted closer to Jean, who was getting flustered from staring into his adorable, yet impish eyes.

“Yeah, Jean, _what is it like_?”

With two pairs of expectant eyes on him, goosebumps slowly crawled up Jean’s back. “It’s . . . it’s complicated, alright?” Before either brunet could protest further, Jean pushed them aside and walked towards one of the rides ahead of them. “Let’s go before the lines get long.” He heard tiny giggles behind him, a clear signal that the other boys were right behind him. _Fucking assholes_.

The large structure that they were headed to oozed out a daunting aura. From what Marco could tell, people would sit in a small cart and allowed themselves to experience all sorts of falling and twisting for amusement. He tentatively tapped Eren, who on the other was bristling with excitement, on the shoulder.

“What’s up, Freckles?”

“Are we going to ride that?” He pointed at the tracks right as a new group of riders fell into the longest drop.

“Of course we are! Don’t tell me this is your first time on a rollercoaster.”

Marco nodded as he glimpsed at the name of the structure.

“Holy shit, dude. Jean and I go on these all the time!”

“Really?” _Humans are odd creatures_ , the siren thought. They are asking to get hurt.

“Yeah.” Eren gave Marco a reassuring pat. “If you’re worried about it breaking down, then stop. We have never gone on a ride that messed up while we were on it -”

“There was that one tall swing ride . . .” Jean muttered.

“S _hut it dickface_.” The brunet smiled crookedly as he grimaced at his brother. He let out a forced chuckle before facing Marco again. “Oh Jean, such a kidder -”

“I wasn’t kidding -”

“Such a kidder!”

“But Jean just said -”

“Oh look! The wait time is short! Let’s go!”

Marco continued to be reluctant as all three of them made their way past the weaving path of poles and chains. The attendant ushered them to take a seat as soon as they made it to the end of the line. Each row only had enough space for two people, so despite Eren’s protests, Jean and Marco sat together while the younger brunet sat behind them.

“I still don’t get it, Freckles. You’re okay with rock climbing, but not this?”

“This is completely different.” Climbing was much more tolerable, considering that Marco still had some control over his body and the height he escalated to. ‘Rollercoasters’ were more contraptions of chance: follow the tracks and hope nothing went terribly wrong. “I can’t use my body at all here.”

“Of course you can!”

Marco furrowed his eyebrows, even though he was fully aware that the other brunet couldn’t see him. “How?” His voice squeaked when the ride operator released the gears, shifting the cars slightly with a drawled out hissing.

While the other riders went silent, Eren chuckled mischievously. “You can use your lungs,” he took in a sharp breath, “ _to scream_!” His yell ended as soon as the cars shot off. A mixture of laughter and screaming barraged Marco’s ear, but as always, two voices rang out louder and clearer than any others.

“Fuck yeah!”

“Fuck this noise!”

“Stop being such a pussy, Jean!”

“Shut the hell up, Eren!”

With each sharp turn, Marco gripped the handrails more tightly. His torso and neck whipped back and forth; the force was so rough that he decided to focus on the wind blowing through his hair, the ticklish feeling tugging in the pit of his stomach. Those sensations were familiar, reminding him of cliff drops with his siren group. Imagining that he would splash into cool water by the end, Marco gathered enough courage to close his eyes. The movement slowed down after a few moments, the restraining pressure from the safety bars on the brunet’s chest lifting away.

“Yo, Marco.” Jean tapped his shoulder. “You alright?”

“Um . . .,” Marco relaxed, opening his eyes once again. However, a sudden blast of vertigo hit him hard. He covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head fervently.

“Oh shit.”

Jean reacted quickly and brought Marco to the nearest wastebin. He couldn’t help but cringe, watching the siren hunching over and heaving roughly. After a few awkward pats to the other’s back, Jean backed away. He took small paces until he ended up next to Eren.

“Who knew the rebel would get motion sick on a mild rollercoaster.”

Jean looked questioningly at his brother.

“Dude, come on. It’s been forever since I’ve seen someone handle our crazy hobbies _and_ be willing to deal with all of our shit in between. Hell, he’s even managed to bring his own sass into the mix. Most people would have lost hope in us by now, yet Freckles stayed and more than willing to join in our stupid stuff. If that doesn’t scream ‘rebel’, then I don’t know what does.”

As usual, Eren was right. They had other people to hang out with, but they typically couldn’t last half the day before calling it quits. With Jean’ intimidating nature and Eren’s incredible snarkiness, it was truly a wonder that Marco was able to keep up for so long. Jean made a small grunt of agreement, still not willing to give his dumbass brother too much credit.

“Hm?” Eren raised his hand to his ear. “What was that?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Pretty sure I heard something.”

“. . . You’re just imagining things.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really, so quit trying to push it, fucker.”

“Alright Mr. Grumpy.” The brunet straightened up and began heading towards Marco. “I’m gonna go check up on Freckles. Instead of being a pissy shit, you should go get some water for your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my -”

“Not the first time I heard that, yet I still don’t believe you.”

“You little -” Before Jean could finish, Eren grinned and ran off to talk to the other boy. _He’s just asking for a beating_. As tempting as kicking Eren’s ass was, seeing Marco’s pale face got Jean running to the nearest vending machine. The siren chugged the whole bottle in what appeared to be one gulp, ensuring to the other boys that he could still keep going if Eren had something else planned.

“As long as it’s not another rollercoaster, I’ll be okay.”

“If you say so. Got any more shit for us to do, Eren?”

“Oh Jean, did you honestly forget about the carnival games?”

 _Fuck._ “Eren, no -”

“Don’t you want to win a giant teddy bear for Freckles?”

“I wouldn’t if the games weren’t so expensive -”

Marco’s eyes sparkled, drifting to look at the colorful stalls behind them. “The one hugging the giant heart does look cute.”

“C’mon Jean. You’ve played each of these games a million times, you’re practically an expert.”

“I guess, but -”

“But what?” Eren lifted his pointer finger. “All you need to do is win one prize. It won’t be that hard.”

Jean groaned. “Fine. Just one bear and then I’m done. Got it?”

Despite maintaining an aloof stare, Jean’s breath hitched in his throat as Marco smiled warmly at him. “You’re the best.” The siren rushed over to the games, while the tan haired boy was left frozen, mouth gaping.

“Damn, bro, Freckles got you sprung.”

“Shut up, fucker.”

“Just letting you know, dude.”

It should have been easy to get that damn prize. Jean shouldn’t have wasted more than ten bucks for that stupid bear. Yet there he was, spending more than twice his limit for a game, standing in the same spot for much longer than he wanted to. _Why did it have to be this game_? Jean was fairly decent at all the games at the pier, besides this one. He mentally cursed whoever thought that throwing ping pong balls into goldfish bowls was any fun. The light clinks from the glass and the unreadable rhythm of the hollow spheres brought Jean unbelievable frustration that almost had him tearing his hair out. He was relieved when Eren convinced Marco to have a look at the other games; this was going to take a while.

The first win had Jean pumped. He yelled victoriously as he was awaiting to receive the prize from the attendant . . .only to be handed a tinier version of the bear Marco wanted.

“Shit.”

“Is something the matter, sir?,” the attendant asked politely.

“Sort of . . . I was kind of hoping that I would be getting the giant bear.”

“Oh, didn’t you take a look at -” the attendant sighed as she picked up a laminated piece of paper. “This darn sign is always falling. My apologies.” The sign was rather old, showing signs of wear and tear around its edges. However, the rules of the game were shown clearly, making Jean’s heart drop.

_1st win = small prize_

_2nd win = medium prize_

_3rd win = GRAND PRIZE OF YOUR CHOICE_

_*all smaller prizes must be traded back to receive rewards from multiple wins! Have fun :)_

He was fucked.

Complete concentration had Jean sweating, with eyes dialated enough to have the attendant considering calling security. The rest of his time playing was a blur. He smiled weakly when he managed to get the second win, only to crack his neck and knuckles before facing the final battle. Tears were probably shed, perhaps a few people passing by were a bit disconcerted with Jean’s odd behavior, but it was all worth it at the end. Feeling the excessive fluff and surprising weight of the cotton in his hands had Jean on his knees, thanking the attendant for tolerating him for the entirety of his play time. The kind girl could only shake her head once before he rushed off to show the stupid bear to Eren and Marco.

“Hey guys -” Jean stopped in his footsteps. The brunets each had their arms full of tinier prizes, almost as if they were carrying a miniature zoo around.

“These games were so fun!” Marco chirped, bouncing his bounty before walking over to see Jean’s prize. “Whoa, you actually got the grand prize!”

“You didn’t think I could do it?”

“It’s not that. Eren and I tried most of the games, but switched to a different stall if we kept losing. It must have been difficult to stay in one game for so long.”

Jean laughed heartily. “Are you kidding? That was my favorite game.” He avoided eye contact with his brother, hoping the brunet wouldn’t say anything.

“That’s good. You must have had a lot of fun.”

“Of course!”

“If you had that much fun,” Eren interjected. “Maybe you should go play a few more times -”

“ _NO!_ ” Covering his mouth, Jean began heating up. He was about to make an excuse until he saw Marco and Eren burst into laughter. “Don’t tell me . . .”

The siren contained his giggles a bit before saying, “Eren told me you hated that game the most.”

“How could I not?” Eren wiped tears from his eyes.

“I hate both of you so much.”

“Love you too, Jean!” The brunets gathered around him, suffocating him with a mountain of stuffed animals in a tight hug. They were lucky that Jean’s arms were too full for him to retaliate. . .and that he didn’t mind receiving all the attention.

“It looks like we went everywhere.” Marco spun around as they walked back to the center of the pier. They had managed to get all their prizes back to the car and filled Eren’s trunk to the brim. Marco wasn’t sure Eren was bringing them back; they had gone to every place besides the arcade with ravenous children and restaurants.

“Oh Freckles,” Eren slapped him on the back. “We have _one_ more place to see. I’ve saved the best for last!” The brunet sprinted ahead towards the fishing area. “Not even you have seen this before, horseface.”

Jean huffed. “It’s only been a year since I left this place. There’s no way you and your dumbass friends found out something else to do without my help.”

“Actually it was more like we got to do this since my old geezer of a brother decided to leave.”

“What did you say?”

Eren yelled more loudly. “You heard me, fucker. Now c’mon, we’re gonna miss it at this rate.”

Jean and Marco had no choice but to run after the brunet once they began losing sight of him in the dark. The siren wondered why they were headed to such a suspicious area, out of most people's sights. If it weren't for his enhanced night vision, Marco would assume he would only see the rough outlines of the edge of the pier and the other people coming into view. Lined up against the rails, the strangers had their eyes locked ahead of them, mezmerised by the calm ocean waves.

_The sea won't hurt you, darlings. Rather, I believe it only wants to share a secret with you. Won't you take a quick listen . . .for me?_

Marco stopped suddenly; he didn't think he would have to listen to that voice again. His pack leader was known to have the most alluring voice in the whole clan, but it only made the brunet sick to his stomach. The scene displayed before him was all too familiar. Why is this still happening?

“Eren.”

“What's up, Freckles?"

"Don't tell me . . .we're jumping."

"Bingo!" Eren grinned. As expected from the new genius in our group. You were able to figure it out so fast.”

“Wait, what the hell, Eren? This death stunt is our last stop?”

“Yup. I told you it was something that wouldn't be able to happen with you here, Jean.”

“That's because it's fucking stupid and reckless!”

“Relax old fart. We've done this a hundred times already -”

“What?!”

“And it's perfectly safe. As long as we jump in together, the most that can happen is a scratch or two. I even checked in with Armin . . .who said it wasn't a complete death trap.”

“Eren, I swear -”

“We'll be fine. Stop worrying!”

_It's essential to persuade the prey that they aren't in any danger. Considering their knack to have inflated egos, it won't be any trouble at all to make them believe in their temporary invincibility. Also, never forget about their unbridled trust in teamwork. After all ‘birds of a feather flock together’._

“We should go home.”

“Marco's right.” The siren barely felt Jean's hand on the small of his back. His breathing quickened, his sense of smell sharpened, resisting the tempting smell of flesh surrounding him.

“Really guys? It's not that bad!”

“Yes it is.” _Especially now that I'm here._

“Freckles, you've been willing to do everything up until now. Just jump with me this one time. I'll never ask you to do this ever again afterwards.”

“Stop pressuring him, dickhead.”

“Here we go again. Marco is old enough to speak for himself. What do you say, Freckles?”

_Never let them suspect. Fulfill their foolish requests. If one of them wants you to join the jump, then agree without any hesitation. You'll survive the fall no matter when you begin the feast._

“. . .” Marco dug his nails into his palms. Maybe smelling his own blood would get him to stop. “No.”

“I see.” Eren huffed and stared at the divers preparing for the leap. “Well, I won't be long. You guys can wait in the car.” He handed Jean the keys. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He ran off to join the others, merging into the middle of the line.

“Let's just go.” Jean tugged Marco's arm only to get no response. He pulled harder, cursing once he saw how tense the siren was getting. “We need to leave.”

“I can't.”

“Why?”

“It's only beginning. Those who leave the feast will get punished, Jean.” Marco bared his sharp teeth. Tears trickled down his face as he measured up the prey before him.

“Hey, snap out of it. I have no idea what the fuck the feast is, but I know that you don't want to do this Marco. We need to leave before you do something you regret.”

_If you disobey one more time Marco . . .well, surely you know the punishment won't fall onto your shoulders. Think about your decision carefully this time, kid._

“I must.”

“Wait, Marco -”

Removing himself from Jean's grip was easy. The siren made his way into the crowd, hardly noticed by the divers who had begun the countdown. He stopped once he was next to Eren. The younger brunet smiled widely when Marco tapped him.

“You made it.”

“Yeah. Couldn't miss out an opportunity like this.”

“I knew you had it in you, Freckles.”

“. . .”

Before Marco could reply, a man from the left end of the long row yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Let's do it!”

Pushing himself in between erratic beach goers, Marco leaped over the rail in the same moment Eren did. The cold wind transformed into an eerie whoosh once the bodies passed through it at rapid speeds.Time slowed and motions blurred, but Marco was still able to latch onto his prey. Eren flinched at the contact, no longer having time to react any further. The impact with the ocean's surface was strong enough to bring Eren into a daze.

_The most important rule of the feast is this: the prey is never allowed to get away._

Seeing blood had the other divers swimming towards shore. Some had sworn that they had seen a shark, while others were sure that a horrible creature was out to kill them all. In Jean's eyes, they were all wrong. Even as he saw Marco bite into Eren's shoulder beneath the waves, he couldn't help but feel sad for the siren.

Pulling the brunets apart had been the hardest struggle. Jean hoped Marco would forgive him for the harsh blows he had to give; there was no other way to loosen that vicious grip on his brother. Traces of reflected light shone on siren's face. Jean could barely recognize his friend, pained eyes being the only sign that Marco had a sliver of consciousness left.

Jean swam away with all his might. It wasn’t his intention to leave Marco alone, but Eren needed medical attention immediately. With double the weight upon him, the tan haired boy focused on keeping his nose above water and Eren’s head beyond the surface. The brunet remained unconscious with no signs of coming to. Just as Jean thought he was in the clear, a sweet melody played, beckoning him to return to the deep waters. All he had to do was turn around and let both his brother’s body and his own sink peacefully to the ocean floor. _Let it end_ , it told him. _Stop fighting and join the feast, human._

The deafening sound disappeared as quickly as it appeared however, making Jean unsure whether he heard it or not. He dragged Eren hastily until they were beyond the reaches of the high tide. The dry sand transformed into mush as Jean laid his brother down carefully; the wound was deep, but it could be treated. A diver that was nearby offered to get the ambulance, giving Jean a clean towel before fumbling on his way to the streets. Pressing hard against Eren’s wound, the fabric in Jean’s hand turned scarlet red.

“You’ll be okay, Eren, I promise.”

Jean repeated this over and over, ignoring the tears falling against his brother’s chest. His voice was hushed but sharp, making it impossible for him to see the person approaching Eren. A hand shyly reached for his own, but froze just as about they were about to make contact.

“Did . . . I do this?” Marco’s voice cracked. He attempted to touch the other brunet only to be smacked by Jean’s other hand.

“ _Don’t touch him_.” The snarl that left Jean’ throat was instinctual and it was too late to take it back. Marco had already backed away, fear deep set into his expression. “Wait, Marco. I didn’t -”

“No you’re right. I shouldn’t be near him, “ Marco whimpered. “Or you.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“How do you call this okay? I was so close to killing your brother.”

“You didn’t mean to.”

The siren turned to the ocean. “That’s the worst part. I didn’t want to, but I did it anyways. I thought I could fight these disgusting instincts . . . I thought I could stay with you.” Gills and fins emerged skin, seen brightly with the moonlight.

“Don’t go.”

“I’m sorry Jean. I was the one who insisted to be friends with you. I knew the risks, but I was too selfish to see that it was too dangerous to be near humans. Everyone should forget about sirens so we can just die off already.”

“Marco, that’s not true -”

“Oh but it is. You should have never found out about us, and it’s best . . . that you forget.”

“What are you talking about -”

Jean felt a hand beneath his chin, lifting his face to see Marco. The siren, sorrowful and pained, gave a gentle kiss to him before revealing his hypnotic eyes. He struggled to look away, to allow Marco one more chance to be with him. Yet, those dark eyes, practically black abysses, lured him into a dazed state.

“ _Once I swim away, don’t look for me. I never existed. Whoever tells you otherwise is a liar. I will be gone and gone for good. . . Goodbye Jean_.”

In the next moment, Jean found himself clinging tightly to his brother’s body. He was still bleeding, but from what? Since they were on the beach, he could only assume Eren had been stupid enough to jump in the water, possibly swimming with a shark who wasn’t in a good mood. An ambulance team had made their way to wear they were laying. One of them insisted that Jean let them take Eren to the truck, so he let go slowly. He dashed behind the people carrying Eren, his legs feeling heavier than lead once they were all seated and off on the streets with sirens blaring. The trip to the nearest hospital was a bit far, but Jean hoped that Eren wouldn’t be too hurt. Guess the beach is another place I have to avoid for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am such a horrible person. I hit you guys with the worst shit after a bajillion years. Forgive me :3  
> Since I still need to focus on school and just adult responsibilities, I'm hoping to update this fic biweekly or triweekly at the latest. Setting an exact goal for my writing has helped, so I'm trying it out with this fic.  
> Feel free to leave any comments here or on tumblr. Any criticism (since I feel as though I didn't write as well as I usual) or anything would be much appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank all of you for being so supportive at my first attempt at making a fic multiple chapters! Also if you have a tumblr, you can also message me at my url gold-sakura if you have any comments or suggestions. Thank you!


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